It's never too early to plan for spring...what do I do now?

Planning for the spring"

In the Landscape

-Cut back ornamental grasses and liriope before new growth begins to emerge.

-Prune summer flowering shrubs like beautyberry, butterfly bush, Clethra, Vitex, and summer blooming spireas in late winter to encourage lots of new growth and heavy flowering.

-Prune everblooming roses in late February. Everblooming roses, such as hybrid teas and Knockout roses, rebloom continuously through the summer. Once bloomers bloom only in the spring and include many species roses and old shrub varieties. Once bloomers should not be pruned until after they finish flowering.

-Crape myrtles usually only require light pruning. Remove crossing branches and inward growth and cut off seed pods. Never hack back into large branches! Known as topping, this practice ruins the natural shape of crape myrtles and promotes insect and disease problems.

-Control winter weeds now by hand pulling or careful spot spraying will ensure your beds look good this spring and also stop weeds from setting seed for future crops.

-Winter is also a great time to spread mulch in the landscape. Aim for a maximum depth of 3” to 4” around trees and shrubs and 2” to 3” around perennials. Do not pile mulch around the trunks of trees and shrubs.

Vegetable Garden

-Plant a cover crop of winter rye on your garden by mid November at the latest

-Plant spring crops in the garden in late February to early march

-Winter is a great time to send off a soil sample. Obtain your supplies from the Cooperative extension office.

Lawn

-Aerate and seed your lawn in mid September.

-Do not fertilize your lawn during the winter when no growth is present. This will simply be a waste and can cause nutrients to be washed into our waterways.

-Plan to apply a pre-emergent herbicide for spring germinating weeds in late winter