April 2015 Tips

4/1/2015

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Dear Gardening Friends,

Looks like spring is finally here. In my gardens the snow is mostly gone except for the piles from the roof and along the road edge. It’s been amazing to watch the daily growth of snowdrops and other spring bulbs as the glaciers recede. Once I have a small bouquet of snowdrops on the kitchen window sill I know it’s really spring.

The following are some tips for early spring:

PATIENCE is the most important factor for this spring:

You can do more harm than good by trying to do things too soon.

Each garden will be different depending on how much snow you had, how quickly your soil drains, amount of sun and wind.

If you leave a footprint when you walk it’s too wet to work in the garden or even walk on the lawn. This compacts the soil.

Another reason not to step into your beds is that you might tramp on a plant crown that hasn’t poked above the soil yet. This is a very fragile time for those “baby” plants.

If you used pine boughs, straw or leaves as a winter mulch, don’t pick them up just yet. It’s still freezing overnight and allowing the soil to thaw slowly is an advantage. In the north towns you probably will be able to do this sooner than those of us in the south towns where we still have snow in the yard.

Raking leaves and winter debris off the lawn is also dependent on the conditions in your yard. It’s much more difficulty to rake up wet, compacted leaves. Let them dry out a little.

If you have a lot of road “grit” along road edges and driveways it can be raked or swept up. Once things thaw out enough to get the hose out, give these areas a good drenching. This helps dilute the salt and road chemicals.

It may take months to tell the extent of the winter damage to trees and shrubs. Give nature a chance.

If you do have storm damage to trees and/or shrubs, a good pruning can do wonders. If you’re unsure of how to go about this, contact me for a pruning consult. It’s a perfect time to prune trees and shrubs with the exception of spring bloomers like forsythia and lilac.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me for a consult. I can help with diagnosing problems, plant selection and placement, pruning, and generally answering your questions. By being proactive and knowing what’s appropriate for your garden, you can save time, money, effort and have more successful and rewarding garden.

PERENNIAL PLANT SALE

Put Saturday, May 16, 9-2 on your calendar. Our plant sale is a great chance to get healthy, large perennial divisions and a wide variety of native plants at modest prices. Ellen Fultz from Amanda’s Garden will also be here selling natives which she propagates. The sale is at my home in East Aurora.

Educational Opportunities:

Community in Bloom Spring Gardening Class. Sat. April 11 at the Unitarian Universalist Church 695 Elmwood in Buffalo and Sat. April 18th at Cornell Cooperative Extension in E. Aurora.
Both classes are the same, just two locations. The classes run from 9-3, the cost is $20/person. Topics will be: perennials, annuals, seed starting, soils, fertilizers, organic gardening, disease & pest management (IPM), and pruning. All sessions are taught by Master Gardeners. (I’m doing the pruning session) It’s going to be quite a day! Register on line at www.cornell.edu/erie , call CCE at 652-5400, ext. 176, or send a check to CCE Erie Co., Att: Communities in Bloom, 21 S. Grove St. East Aurora, NY 14052.

Happy Gardening!
Lyn Chimera
Lessons from Nature
170 Pine St., E Aurora, NY 14052
[email protected]
716-652-2432

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