Plants are still about 2 weeks behind typical seasonal development, but the soil is now warm enough for planting annuals.

Work starter fertilizer into the soil when you plant at a rate of 2 pounds per 100 square feet. Nip off the buds that are emerging now, so that the energy of the plant will go into forming strong roots. This way, you'll have more flowering later in the season.

It's not too late to plant summer flowering bulbs (including Dahlias, Tuberous Begonias, Cannas, Crocosmia, Gladioli, Freesia, and Calla Lilies) if the cold weather delayed you during May. Observe carefully the conditions they require. Caladium, for example, should not be planted until night-time temperatures are consistently at 65 or above.

Stake any perennials that were damaged or blown over by the strong winds we've had recently.

Typically by now, you would have already planted seeds for vine crops like beans, cucumber and squash, but with the cold weather we have had all spring, the time for doing that is still about right. Don't worry - they will still have time to mature!

Plant pumpkins for Halloween harvest. Be sure to allow plenty of room for the vines to spread out. Crowding encourages disease.

Once the edible beds are planted, mulch with straw or grass clippings to feed the soil and keep down weeds. Newspaper can be laid down under your mulch to further suppress the weeds.

Baldcypress Taxodium distichum Photo Courtesy of Northscaping

The Bald Cypress is a deciduous conifer. What's this? It is a tree with evergreen-like leaves, that fall in the winter, unlike Spruce, Pine and Fir trees that keep their needles all year round. For this alone it is an interesting tree to consider. The Bald Cypress likes wet and even swampy conditions.

The Bald Cypress can grow to 50 or more feet and spread up to 25 feet. It has a neat pyramidal shape, and soft green foliage. It turns a beautiful rust color in autumn. It is truly a lovely and unique tree for our area if you have a large open space in your yard, in full sun.

If you have a stubbornly moist area in your garden, plants can help. Many plants like moist conditions and will drink up that extra water eagerly. Here's a list of some good candidates:

Perennials for wet spots in the sun include Sweet Flag, Swamp Milkweed, Cardinal flower, Joe Pye Weed, Blue Flag Iris, Bee Balm and Spiderwort.

For shady or semi-shady locations consider Lady's Mantle, Goatsbeard, Astilbe, Snakeroot, Turtlehead, Ligularia, Rodger's Flower, Toad Lily, and Solomon's Seal. Most Ferns are good candidates as well, requiring moist conditions and semi shady to shady locations.

Grasses that like wet conditions include Feather Reed Grass, many of the Sedges, Rush, and more.

Shrubs for wet areas include Carolina Allspice, Willow, Highbush Cranberry, Arrowwood and Nannyberry (both varieties of Viburnum), Red Twig Dogwood and Ninebark.

Looking for a tree? Serviceberry, River Birch, Larch, Sweet Gum, Tupelo White Spruce and our featured plant are some selections to consider.

All of these selections do well in moist soil. Some actually like to have "wet feet," that is, they like standing water around their base. These are good candidates if you are creating a rain garden, not just dealing with a wet spot. A Rain Garden is an area prepared and planted specifically to use significant quantities of rain water, but you don't have to construct a rain garden to benefit from these beauties! We can help you with your selection based on your garden conditions.

Too much rain you say? Such dismal spring weather? Why not make the most of it with a rain chain. We have a good selection at the Garden Center.

A rain chain can best be described as an artistic alternative to the traditional downspout. It 's literally a decorated chain, and its function is to direct water from your roof or pergola or from any other structure to the ground, a rain garden or into a rain barrel .

It also amplifies the sound of the rain in pleasant ways and can be very soothing. Try one or two in strategic locations in your garden. Rain chains are fun and functional!