Plants in Flower & Plants of Interest

Fertilizing

• fertilize your shrubs if you didn’t in the fall

Planting

• The average last spring frost date in Alexander County is April 6, +/- 11 days.
• Summer bulbs
• Warm season veggies! (Green beans, Cucumber, Squash, Pumpkins, Tomatoes, Peppers, Melons, Eggplant, Corn)
• Replace your cool season annual flowers with summer annuals
• Perennial flower seeds (Hollyhock, Coreopsis, Daisy, Phlox, Sweet William)
• Small fruits (like those from our fruit sale that you haven’t got in the ground yet…) (Strawberry, Blueberry, Blackberry)

Pruning

• Prune spring flowering shrubs after their flowers fade
• WAIT for herbaceous spring flowering perennials turn brown on their own before cutting them back (they need their leaves to make energy to store for next year)
• Prune berry producing shrubs like holly and pyracantha while in flower to prevent complete removal of all of this season’s berries
• Trim out any winter/cold damage that’s occurred this season
• Cut back butterfly bushes (if you haven’t already) to approx. 3ft or as desired
• Trim back ornamental grasses (if you haven’t already)

Lawn Care

• Maintain mowing height of fescue and bluegrass at 3 inches.
• Do NOT fertilize cool season lawns such as tall fescue or Kentucky bluegrass anymore this spring.

Spraying

• Insect oil on fruit trees
• Check azaleas, rhododendron, and pyracantha for lace bugs and treat if needed
• Spray roses before buds open
• Control poison ivy, honeysuckle, and kudzu while new growth is young

Propagation

• Good time to layer plants by lowering a branch of your favorite shrubs and covering it with soil and a stone

Specific Chores

• Visit local garden centers and nurseries!
• Mulch landscape beds (if you haven’t already)
• Make sure water features and gardens are clean and unclogged (we don’t want any ‘skitters!)