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March, 2008 Hello Everyone,
The advent of warmer weather and sunshine teases us into venturing out in our gardens to begin again tending those sleepy perennials and bulbs beginning to make themselves known. Bring it on!
From the end of March through April its time to cut back grasses, Blue Mist Spirea, Russian Sage and Butterfly bushes. Perennial beds will benefit from some clean-up now, too, by cutting back last year’s growth so the new emerging leaves can begin to grow and won’t interrupt clean-up later on. Compost can be spaded into the soil and mulch applied. These efforts may depend on the exposure you’re working in. Many north sides are still too cold and frozen to have this work done. By contrast, some of my south facing gardens are already showing dryness from the intensity of the spring sun as it is rising in the sky. Check out the moisture content in your gardens and if we don’t get any rain or snow this weekend, you may want to consider adding a little water to the dry spots. Amazingly, for the 50-60+ temps during the day, most nights are still consistently below freezing!
Of course, if you have perennials, shrubs or trees that were newly planted last year, take special note of them as you may need to give them a drink. Also, evergreens lose moisture through their leaves (needles) and can benefit from having a shower as well as ground water.
A heads-up for next month: If you are looking for more landscaping ideas and booths to visit and setups to see, mark your calendar for April 10-13. The Spring Home & Patio Show will be at the National Western Complex.
Occasionally I get asked about adding polymers to soil as a means of retaining moisture. Use of these in hanging baskets has shown to be effective, but you might save your money if you are considering adding them to the soil under your turfgrass. “A CSU field study on Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue conducted in the early 90’s could find no advantage to using polyacrylamide polymers as soil amendments. They did not allow maintenance of green turf with less frequent irrigation or lesser amounts of water, and did not delay the onset of dormancy when water was withheld. … Municipalities, golf courses, and other users of polymers have generally reached the same conclusions regarding their effectiveness on turf areas.” This is from Plant Talk’s Fact Sheet #1624
Thought for the month: “Growing beautiful plants is a science; Creating a beautiful garden is an art.”
Happy Gardening! JB Landscape Design 303.503.8094
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