Horticulturalist Melinda Myers offers tips and suggestions for each month of the year.
Continue to shovel snow first and then use de-icing salt only as needed. You’ll use less de-icing salt, reducing salt damage to your lawn and landscape plants. Further protect your plants by using plant and pet-friendly de-icers.
Watch for signs of rabbit, vole and deer damage. Adjust protective fencing as needed, reapply repellents as needed and alternate scare tactics. For best results use a variety of tactics to minimize animal damage.
Prune out any winter damaged stems and branches. Wait for the worst of winter weather to pass before major pruning of trees and shrubs. Contact certified arborist for big jobs. They have training, equipment, and experience to do the job safely.
Check plants for tent caterpillars, gypsy and tussock moth egg masses, black knot and other cankers. Remove and destroy egg masses of harmful insects and prune out cankers as found. Disinfect tools between cuts to reduce the spread of disease.
Take a walk through your landscape, review photos and notes about last year’s garden. Look for areas that would benefit from a tree, shrubs or additional color from annual and perennial flowers. Start a wish list of seeds, plants and garden art that will fill these voids and add additional sparkle to your landscape.
Shop early for the best selection. Store in a cool place until it is time to plant.
Inventory, gather, and purchase any containers, sterile seed starting mix, seeds, lights and other equipment needed for starting seeds.
Start onions from seeds in late February.
Start canna, dahlia, tuberous begonias and other tender bulbs indoors at the end of this month through mid-March for earlier flowering in the garden.
This is a great time to take your lawn mower or other outdoor garden equipment to the repair shop and beat the spring rush.
