Cold, then hot. Wet, then dry. Spring brings us uncertainty, at least as far as the weather goes. Everyone loves the idea of an Easter party on the lawn, but this year, Easter is March 23! It's so early, it may very well be cold and wet. Still, we'll plan well and hope for the best.
Take a good hard look at your garden, and decide what tasks MUST be taken care of now, and what can wait. Here are the things on my list that I want to get done in order to have a big Easter Egg Hunt in my yard on March 22:
All of the beds need to be cleared of the old plant material that has frozen, or just died back. Gingers, groundcovers, and weeds fit into this category. Even the dried tops of the sedum and mums have to be cut off and thrown away. Be very careful what you choose to compost out of this debris. Anything soft and mushy may carry over fungus or bacteria, and it's better to bag it, and throw it out with the trash.
After I clean out a bed, I will add a fresh layer of mulch. Remember, with our 300+ day growing season, mulches won't last for a whole year like they do up north. Not only are our plants actively growing, but the organisims in the soil are actively breaking down soil organics as well. Plan to mulch at least twice a year.
Selectively and carefully trim back cold damage on citrus and other tropical shrubs and trees. Citrus don't like to be pruned, and remember that pruning is going to cause a flush of new growth. So, don't be in a hurry to do this unless you are sure there will be no more cold weather in your area.
I'm watching for new growth this time of year, and I will fertilize things that are in bloom, or indicating that they are coming out of dormancy. I use a half-strength liquid fertilizer on my Japanese magnolias, sweet olive, azaleas, and camellias. Also, Louisiana Iris, which will bloom next month in my garden, and callas. The rest can wait for a while.
I purchase a bottle of dormant oil spray at the local Lowes' or Home Depot, and make sure my hand sprayer is in working condition. As soon as the nights warm up above 50 degrees, I will give my camellias and sweet olives a good spraying, being sure to get under the leaves. Citrus, which is prone to black, sooty mold (caused by insects) can also be sprayed with this product. Do not spray when daytime temperatures will be about 80 degrees - you'll burn the plants. This is a springtime application ONLY.
This is the time of year that I gather up all my old pots - full of last year's impatiens volunteers, and dump them out, scrub them off, and refill them. You can still plant some snapdragons, petunias, or violas, but it's getting late - they will succumb to the heat as soon as it arrives in May. Be ready to replace them with things that are more tolerant of our heat and humidity as soon as they show signs of stress.
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2 comments:
I can't wait for you to come see the garden! we planted one bed yesterday with daffodils in the center, a silver tinted filler?? around them, then finalle surrounded by impatients and violas. It is very pretty. The citrus trees are outside right now, but they will come inside tonight when it gets cold. They are both blooming (we have a naval orange and a lemon)...should I let them bloom or not? I trimmed the habenero plant way back...it was also bug infested so we 7-dusted him. We also bought a few things for the morning glories to grow on and be happy!! So busy!!
Let the citrus bloom, but expect that it won't set much fruit. If the trees are really small, simply rub the small fruits off when they are tiny. Give your trees a couple of years to grow and get strong before they have to provide fruit.
Your flowers sound lovely - the silver...probably Dusty Miller, and there are several very good cultivars out now that are much more heat tolerant than the old-time versions.
Send a picture of the morning glories when they bloom!
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