Bloomin’ Facts by Jackie

Spring is a wonderful time of year. We begin to hear the Birds chirping.  Daffodils and tulips start popping out of the ground. The grass changes to a shade of green.  And bursting buds on many trees and shrubs begin to show the promise of a new season of color. 

Gardeners know it’s spring when it becomes apparent that the gardens and the lawns have had little maintenance over the winter. And a SPRING CLEANUP is definitely on the To-Do list!

Spring cleanup suggestions: 

1. Pick up any debris that has collected over the winter. Trash from neighboring disposal containers. The lost glove. Leaves that have blown back into the gardens.
2. The first chance you get, take a few minutes to walk through any planting beds, tree beds. Look for plants that may need attention. A perennial that has heaved out of the ground.  Broken branches on a tree. Chewing by mice or rabbits and even deer browsing. 
3. Pluck as many weeds that have established themselves over the winter as possible. This can be done with a herbicide application or the old-fashioned way of pulling or digging. 
4. Now is a great time to prune. Do some of the plants look overgrown?  Maybe they are too tall and beginning to hamper your view. Any plants growing so close to the house restricting air movement and even scraping on your siding? Is any plant growing so wide that it is encroaching on another plant’s space? Do any of the plants have branches that are crossing and literally rubbing a sore on both branches? Some plants may have what we call “straight-ups”….ie smaller branches either growing “straight up” from the base of the plant or a new shoot on a branch but headed for the stars! All of the above are signs to PRUNE!
5. Some plants like Magnolia and Rhododendron have already set their buds for the season. It’s best to prune these as little as possible, being careful not to take away from this year’s floral outburst. 
6. Get out any leaves that blew back into the gardens late fall early winter. Cut back or pull out any dried perennial foliage remaining from last season. If you have pansies still growing from last year, they should pop back into color soon. Let’s leave them!  However, other annuals that provided you so much color last season will not come back and now is the time to discard their remains.   
7. If you deer protected some plants with burlap, those can be uncovered as soon as possible to help get light and circulation to the plant. Remember the deer are still looking for food anywhere. If you uncover too early, your plants could be their next midnight snack! 
8. Wait until you see some new growth before starting to fertilize. 

If you need help with your spring cleanup, call the SPRING CLEAN-UP EXPERTS at Little York Plantation.  Whether you’re a DIY’er and need a little advice or in need of DFY, call Little York Plantation!  We look forward to being of service to YOU!

Jackie Crane
6088 Rte 281, Little York
littleyorkplantation.com
607-423-4417 (Mobile)
607-749-4861 or 315-960-3228  (Office)
jackie@littleyorkplantation.com