Lets get ready for the arrival of Spring, It is coming - really!?

 

 

If you can answer yes to the following questions you are ready:

• Have you started your lawn mower and sharpened the blade yet? Now is the time to have it serviced before the waiting time becomes long.
• How about the rototiller or weed whacker--do you have fresh gas ready?
• Have you oiled your fertilizer spreader and cleaned it yet?
• Have you cleaned and sharpened your hedge shears, pruners, loppers and the pole saw yet?
• Is there air in the tire of your wheelbarrow?
• Do you know where your garden gloves are?
• Is your hose still frozen--but you know where the sprinkler and nozzle is?
• Now, one last question: are you daring enough to put the snow blower in the back of the garage or tool shed and move the mower into the front? Are you ready, almost ready, getting there, anxious, thinking about it, or do you still need it? I DO and I am still almost ready, so get going and think positive!!!

• Have you looked at the wooden handles of your long handle tools and the wheelbarrow yet? If the handles look a bit dried out, how about rubbing a bit of linseed oil on them to help them become more flexible and less likely to break. Spray all the metal parts of your tools with WD40 to keep them strong and rust-free. Spray all moving parts of your garden cart, wheelbarrows, spreaders, and cutting tools to keep them lubricated.
• Check out the ends of the hoses--have you crushed them so they won't attach properly, how about washers in them--do they leak? Fix them now--before you need them.
• How does the chain saw look--will it start, so you can use it to do a bit of pruning in the next couple of weeks? It's easier to cut branches now--without the leaves on them--and clear out winter damage.
• How about the leaf blower--will it work to blow off all the sand from your driveway and clean the garden beds?

• Does the garden patio furniture need to be repaired or painted for the season, or even replaced? Now is a great time to do this work, before you get busy with the lawn.
• How about cleaning out the garage and getting things organized before the season begins. Many times, I cannot find the tool I need because it's buried under something else in the tool shed--and after I buy a new one I find it. Has this happened to you?
• Do you have any leftover fertilizer, garden chemicals, soil conditioners, or grass seed in your tool shed; are they still good; can you read the labels? If you need these items, are they on sale now? If not, keep an eye out for the sales early in the season.
• Check your pressure sprayer to see if it stills holds pressure; if not, most times it's just a gasket or washer, just pump it up and try it out now before you need it.
• Did you use the electric extension cords for the Christmas lights and will you need them for the electric shears--where did you put them?
• Check out the mosquito zapper or gas-fired insect killer, is it ready to go--do you have propane for your Mosquito Magnet, and will it start?

• Have you planned out the layout of the vegetable and flower garden yet?
• Are the tomato cages still good; do the trellises or arbor need to be fixed?
• It's time to put out the bird bath, have you cleaned it yet?
• How about the Gazing Ball--is it clean and can you find the bottom to put it on?
• Check out the fountain: is it clean, and does the pump still work?
• If you have awnings for the window, what type of shape are they in--is the fabric still in good shape? If they are moldy, get some Wet and Forget and spray them when you put them up to kill the mold and clean them.

Print this list and put it up on the garage wall so you can check things off as you do them. There is a lot to do to prepare for the arrival of spring, so begin now and do a little bit each week so it does not get ahead of you. All these things must be done before you even get out in the yard and start to work, so let's get started now. While you're out, how about picking up a few first aid items just in case: Ben-Gay, Extra-Strength Tylenol, and, yes, some beer to help you relax and enjoy all your work and accomplishments. Do you still like the arrival of spring? If you need some help, call me on Sunday morning; I will be there to answer all your questions.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

                                    

 

 

1.) It's time to uncover your rose bushes and remove the winter protection you put around them last fall. If you used soil, mulch or compost, just spread it around the plant for additional root protection when the heat of summer arrives and to help control weeds later.

 

2.) Its time to prune back your bush type roses and clean them of dead, broken, or weak branches. Cut them back to 18 to 24 inches from the ground, and be sure to remove all small shoots that developed on the plant; also remove all suckering branches that developed at the base of the plant. Where you pruned the plant, spray with Wilt-Pruf or Wilt Stop to seal in the moisture and help protect it from the cold spring winds.

 

3.) Climbing roses should also be cleaned and cut back to get ready for a more productive year. Remove all winter damage branches to the nearest crotch or dormant bud. Tie all branches to your fence or arbor and be sure that part of that branch is tied down and growing in a horizontal position. Horizontal-growing branches will encourage more branches to develop and that means more flowers.

 

4.) Removing all suckers that develop just below the graft will keep the plant more productive with flowers and eliminate excess foliage. Once the plant is cleaned, fertilize with a granular rose food like Dr. Earth Rose food with microbes.

 

5.) If you have potted roses growing in containers, now is the time to bring them out of the winter storage building like your garage or tool shed. Also any evergreens grown in containers that you store this way need to come out now so they can begin to develop naturally.

 

6.) The bird bath and your fountains can now be set up; just be sure to clean them well, and remove any green algae that might have formed during the winter. Once cleaned, be sure to rinse well to remove any cleaning product residue. Just the sound of running water will help cheer you up with this cold weather.

 

7.) Gazing balls will redirect the sunlight in your yard. Along with all your garden statuary, this will help to bring your garden alive even though not many plants have begun to develop yet.

 

8.) Bring out all your garden and patio containers like whiskey barrels, Earth Boxes, window boxes, and planters. While you have time, let's recondition the soil in them and prepare them for planting. Use this time wisely and then when you're ready to plant, your containers will be ready also. When your local garden center has pansies available, stick a few plants in them for a bit of color now. You can transplant the pansies to your garden later when you plant your containers with your summer flowers.

 

9.) If you have a fish pond or garden pool that has been turned off all winter long, let's clean out the winter debris and get the water clean and moving. Water movement at this time of the year will help get you moving and thinking of the plants around the water.

 

10.) Sweep your front steps, the walkways, the patio, the deck, and even the driveway. This will make you FEEL better and it's more fun that shoveling snow on those same areas. While you're cleaning, think about what you could do to these areas to make them more beautiful, like a container of flowers or vegetables or even plantings along them this spring.

 

11.) Check out your wooden fence and gates to see how they handled the winter; check for any broken or rotting post or rails. While the weather is cool, let's do some of the hard work so we can sit back this summer and relax. If you're going to paint, be sure to check about painting and outside temperatures, or your hard work could all peel off the fence if it's too cold now to paint.

 

12.) Look at your flag pole and inspect the rope for strength. Does the pole need to be painted? How about the gold ball on top--does it need a good shine? How about the flags-- do they need to be replaced or it could be time to add a new flag to your collection? Opening day is April 6th and the home opener is April 13, no better time to get out your favorite team flag out--mine is "The Boston RED SOX." Go team!! If your American flag is worn and tattered, give it to your local Boy Scout troop and they will take care of it for you.

 

13.) If the ground can be worked, how about starting to edge your flower and garden beds. Garden beds look much better with a straight edge on them and it will make mowing along them much easier if you do it now, while you have time. If you have long beds, use string to make a straight line or (like me) you will cut the edge wrong. If you are removing large pieces of green grass in some areas while edging those beds save the grass and use it to fill in bare spots in your lawn.

 

14.) If you are going to use a lot of bark mulch this spring, it is much cheaper to purchase it by the yard or in bulk than by the bag. It will take nine 3 cubic foot bags of bark mulch to equal one yard of bulk mulch. Compare the price before you buy all those bags. One yard of bark mulch will cover an area 100 square feet (10' X10') three inches deep, or at 1.5" thick 10'X20'. If there is still bark mulch in the beds from last year just add an inch of new mulch to bring back the color. Year old bark mulch does not "go bad," so do not remove it.

 

15.) This is the BEST time to spread mulch on perennial beds or shrub beds that contain bulbs, as the plants are dormant and all you have to do is rake it in. Once the plants begin to develop you will have to do a lot of "hand work" and your labor will be much more time consuming.

 

16.) April traditionally brings us much rain, so get the rain barrel in place to collect the water for your garden later. I have a rain barrel and use it often during the heat of summer to water the containers on the front walkway and on the porch; it beats dragging out the hose every day.

 

17.) How about bringing out the patio furniture and getting the back deck or patio set up early? The nice days are coming and on the next nice Sunday morning, bring out the radio and a cup of coffee and listen to the garden show outside so you can see and plan what you have to do in your garden.

 

18.) Now is a good time to repair all that patio furniture or even paint it if necessary. If you need to replace to cushions, measure them and post it on the refrigerator door and that way when they go on sale you will be ready to grab them. If the furniture needs to be replaced, it's better to know now than when you need it later; get ready for the sales yet to come.

 

19.) Now is also time to uncover and remove the winter protection from the hydrangeas. Do not prune them now but you can remove any branches that were damaged during the winter. You can add aluminum sulfate fertilizer around them to help increase the blue color intensity of the flower. Pruning is done when the buds begin to swell and become more visible.

 

20.) Have you noticed that the tool shed is now beginning to look empty and you now have room to move around in there? How about taking out the garden hose and attaching it to the faucet so it's ready to use? Maybe the kids will want to use it and wash the car for you. (You can hope!)

 

21.) Might want to look for the sprinkler and nozzle at the same time and see if they still work. Bring out the watering cans, and the watering wands for the hanging baskets.

 

22.) Take a big pad of paper and write down the names of all of your garden chemicals and organic products you have in your tool shed or garage. Leave a good inch of space between each product so you can write down what you use them for. If you have products and forgot what they are for or when to use them, let's take that list to the nursery to find out what you have and how to best use it. Also write down how much you have of each; that way you will know if you need more while you're out.

 

23.) If you have a brick, cobblestone, or concrete paver, walkway or patio, this is the perfect time to add additional stone dust to entirely fill in the cracks in between them; these have formed during the past winter. If you can fill these spaces with stone dust or sand you will have less of a weed problem this summer.

 

24.) If you want new birds in your bird houses, they must be cleaned each spring before they will be occupied. The more unique birds are fussier about where they will live and will not reside in unclean bird houses. If you often wonder why you have so many grackles in your bird houses, all they want is a roof over their heads.

 

25.) Tape this list on your tool shed wall and as you finish one of the things to do, cross it off the list. It's not all work when you garden and you must take time to enjoy what you have accomplished, so do as my Dad and I would often do: take a cold can of beer out of the refrigerator, sit in the garden, and toast to all you have done! Enjoy the moment; I am glad, I did when I had my Dad in the garden with me!

 

These suggestion will depend on the weather and if there is still snow on the ground! Lets hope for a great spring season.