Garden Help Desk

February is the time to do an inspection and planning of your yards. Here are some pointers what to look for and do now. Perennials may heave up out of the ground as temperatures warm up. If so gently firm roots back into the ground and surround the plant with...

  Create a garden calendar for 2025. Make note of new plantings, pest or disease problems, successes or failures. You’ll find it not only fun but very useful for future reference. Include photos of before and after. When the winter wind whips you can enjoy thoughts of spring greenery!  Get...

A thorough lawn clean-up is very important. Rake up any remaining leaves in between snows if necessary. Heavy layers of decomposing leaves can cause disease problems and kill the lawn underneath them. Stay off frozen lawns to avoid winter damage. Sodium chloride or rock salt used to melt snow near...

Watering It is important to continue watering newly planted trees and shrubs until the temperatures are consistently cold. It is not uncommon to continue watering through November and December. Fertilizer Use fertilizer spikes or a granular fertilizer in the fall (September/October to achieve improved growth in the following spring. Do not fertilize...