Dig it: Seasonal tips for a lush yard and garden
Kristan Dael
50plus Magazine
Spring will soon be here! For those with green — or aspiring to become green — thumbs, Dan Estacio, president of Terra Gardens Nursery & Bark in Salem, offers tips for laying the groundwork for a beautiful season.
While February is the coldest month second to January, Dan says don’t be fooled by the false spring. “It throws everybody off — and it happens every year!” he laughs.
“The sun comes out, it gets warm — like 60 degrees for a week or two — but there’s still cold coming.” The risk of jumping the gardening gun? Over-pruning or -trimming, leaving grasses and shrubs vulnerable to damage from the cold.
So, what to do? Follow Dan’s tips for best results.
Perennial grasses. Trim the dead, leaving a tuft behind. “Those bristles protect against the cold.”
Evergreen grasses. Clear away debris; don’t trim beyond the tips until March.
Perennials. Trim only dead components above ground. If that takes the plant close to the ground, flag the area so it’s not stepped on.
Trees. Prune in February. For fruit trees, spraying is best around Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day — the last being most important as it kills overwintering fungus and insects.
Roses. Trim late February or March. “March is when I do mine,” Dan says. This is when it’s generally safe to trim to about a foot above ground. “While we always get frost in March and April,” he says, “it tends to be brief and less threatening.”
Bulbs and perennials. Rake leaves and debris away in early March so flowers aren’t fighting to grow through last year’s refuse. “Doing this, the plants should come in looking like they did when you got them from the nursery,” Dan says.
Shrubs. Spring bloomers like azalea, rhododendrons and forsythia should be trimmed right after blooming. “This makes for a heavier, stronger, more fully-blooming plant in the future,” explains Dan.
Lilac. Dan says many don’t realize that lilacs, which bloom late spring, set their flowers the year before. “The buds form after the flowers die,” he says, “so prune them while flowers still have a little color (or better yet, prune them for bouquets!).”
Veggie gardens. If adding manure, February/March is the time to do it. “Even when using composted manure, you want to give it time to break down. Then work it in when it’s closer to planting time for best results.”
For anyone interested in digging deeper to green up those thumbs, Terra Gardens offers free classes in pruning, fruit tree care (Feb 11) and rose care (Mar 11). Classes are free, held in a heated greenhouse and cover an entire year’s worth of care in each two-hour class. A bonsai class is also offered Feb 25 and March TBD; these are
limited to eight participants per class and the $75 fee includes a bonsai tree, pot and a book to take home.
Learn more by visiting Dan in person at Terra Gardens, or by visiting terragardens.net.