Posts Tagged ‘Garden Maintenance’

Springing Forward

March 7th, 2009

New Dawn preparing to flower

New Dawn preparing to flower

 

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful here! Sunny, warm (over 50F), a few clouds now and then, a good breeze to help dry the soil. Amazing for early March!

 

A tour of our garden revealed many surprises. Tulips, daffodils, narcissus and Siberian irises are all peaking through the soil. Under the mulch of leaves, perennials were greening up in anticipation of more warm days ahead. The buds on the trees, especially the maple, are beginning to swell. All signs of what’s to come.

 

A very nice surprise came when the roses and chestnut showed no signs of being winter pruned by our resident rabbits. I think we can in part, thank the large bird population in our garden who, are very messy eaters. They spill as much bird feed on the ground as they eat, I swear! And the rabbits eat the spillings.

 

Not so nice is all the litter that has been buried under the snow. Why people cannot throw their garbage into a trash can is beyond me! Pop cans, drink cups, chip bags, papers all scattered around the property.  The other nasty, we found are the land mines left by dogs. Poop and scoop is a foreign concept to some of the dog owners here. But, I’m not getting into all of that!

 

Since it is just the first week of March, I resisted the temptation to begin the garden clean up. The mulch was left in place and shrubs were left un-pruned as I know more cold weather, and snow, will come. One thing I did do, and it broke my heart to do it, was cut back our “New Dawn” climbing rose. Yes, my pretty climber that reached over the porch roof, is now a mere ten inches high. Why you ask? Read on! Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted in Garden Maintenance, HOW TO GARDEN, Plants, Trees and Shrubs, Roses | Comments (0)

Preparing For the Gardening Season

February 19th, 2009

Enlarging a garden bed

Enlarging a garden bed

Suckers to be trimmed.

Suckers to be trimmed.

Spring is just around the corner! Time to spend a few moments thinking about your gardens and what changes are to be made.

 

Not sure? Here are a few points to help you get started.

 

  • Are there any overgrown shrubs that need to be removed or cut back? For example, that huge juniper in the front of your house that is blocking the windows and overpowering the rest of the plantings.

 

  • Have the perennial borders become cramped? Enlarge them. Even a six inch increase in every direction will help.

 

  • Dividing older perennials is not only good for the plant, it gives you more plants to move to another garden or, give away.

 

  • Look at the trees in your garden. Are there suckers that need to be removed? Doing that while the tree is still dormant, makes it easier to see what needs to be removed. NOTE: don’t trim maples or beeches until the summer.

 

  • Do any of the trees overhang walkways? Can people walk under them without having to duck? No? Then limb up the offending branches.

 

  • How are the walkways? Are there heaved pavers to be replaced? Have the walks become obscured by the plants bordering them? Time to cut those plants back, or remove them.

 

  • Have you been wanting to put in another garden? Stake out the bed now. When the lawn is dry enough to walk on and the soil has thawed, you can begin building your new garden and have it ready in time for the planting season. 

 

  • Has the landscape fabric in your shrub borders lifted? Is it still in good shape? If it’s torn or full of holes, it’s time to lift the cloth and replace it with new fabric.

 

 

Get the bones of the gardens in shape before the season begins, and the rest of your gardening season can be spent doing the fun things.

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Posted in Garden Maintenance, HOW TO GARDEN, Landscaping | Comments (0)

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