Forget April!!! Geez...what a month. Can't, mow, can't plant much, can't seed, can't hardly sleep with all the weather alerts going off. This is definitely one for the record books. Our weather station here at the nursery recorded 14.65 inches of rain for the month and I am sure other areas received even more. In one month we have accumulated almost double the amount of rain than we had in the first 4 months total in 2010. WHEW!! And....if you are wondering about the effect that all that rain has on your trees and shrubs etc. just go back and re-read last month's "featured article". I should have written it this month instead. I fear we are in for some heavy landscape devastation if the amount of phone calls we have received this last week regarding this subject are any indication of what is to come. Just know that you are not alone. We too have lost plants in our own landscaping; plants that have been here for years. Bad winter, bad spring! Anyway....FORGET April!! Time to move on to May. AHHHHH....May....Time to plant, plant, plant! Plant something. Plant a tree, plant a shrub, plant a perennial, an annual. Anything....just plant it! There is nothing better than watching something you planted grow. And, speaking of watching things grow, don't forget about Ye 'Ol Garden. I realize it's a bit wet yet but things will dry out ( won't they? ) and you need to be ready to plant. Now, aside from the above mentioned there are some "must do's" this month. 1. Get some more weed inhibitor ( pre-emergent ) in your landscape beds. It needs to stay in that top 1" of soil and with all the rain your earlier application has probably leached out. Once that sun starts shinning again ( it will, won't it? ) those little weed seeds that have blown in will start to jump up all over.And, remember to either put it down before a good rain or water it in or you will have wasted your time and money. HINT: Remember, we sell Treflan here at the nursery but Preen will also work. It's just more expensive. 2. Azaleas are blooming, viburnum, forsythia and some magnolias have already bloomed and lilacs are getting ready to bust out or are already blooming ( as you could see in the butterfly photo above ). As I mentioned in the March newsletter you will need to prune these plants within 2-3 weeks after they finish blooming. So, if you haven't already done so, clean and sharpen those shears and get pruning. These early bloomers need to be pruned as stated since they need the rest of the year to "store up" the good stuff so they will be ready to show off their beauty next year. 3.Fertilize. If you have not already done so you will need to get things fertilized. Remember you can use a general purpose fertilizer such as 12-12-12 or the better alternative - time release fertilizer so you only need to do it once depending on your budget of course. Helpful Hint: When fertilizing your perennials, annuals and/or herbs use a fertilizer with less nitrogen and higher phosphorus such as 5-10-5. This will not only promote stronger root systems but also make your perennials and annuals bloom better and your herbs taste better. Also your herbs will do even better if you use an organic fertilizer around them such as Bone Meal, Blood Meal or even well rotted manure. These will cause the essential oils in them to be more flavorful. Hint: These fertilizers are available here at the nursery. Well, I guess that about raps up my chatter for this month. As always though, if you have a question about your plants or your landscaping feel free to call, stop by or email us at beavercreek55@yahoo.com. We will do our best to help you. Bring on the Sunshine! Ken P.S. Don't forget to sign up for the garden swing give-a-way on May 29th. | 
