by Kimberly Davis -
Maintenance Division Manager

k.davis@nagellandscape.com

 

Now that all the leaves have finished dropping, it is a great time to freshen up the bark in all your planters. Fresh bark adds some interest to the garden this time of year when there is not a lot else going on. Let us know if you would like some fresh bark at the sites we maintain for you.

 

A few things adding winter interest to your garden this time of year are Japanese Camellias, Rosemary varieties, Oregon Grape and Heavenly Bamboo. In addition, many of the early spring bloomers like Helleborus, Iris and deciduous Magnolias will be opening up soon. As always, if you have bare spots that need filling, consider adding some seasonal interest to your landscaping. Let us know if we can help.

 

Late winter is a good time to prune rose bushes and trees. When pruning your own roses at home remember to trim down last year’s growth to buds which face outward from the center of the shrub to encourage a more open growth pattern. Thin out the remaining growth and remove any old leaves which remain after your pruning is done. Removing old leaves will decrease the amount of disease which is carried over to this year’s growth. Diseases like rust and black spot can be drastically reduced by this simple step. If you had disease on the bushes last year or had trouble with aphids consider applying horticultural oil to smother spores and insect eggs.

 

Now is a good time to start planning your fertilizer and preemergent applications. We will be applying slow release lawn fertilizer, citrus food and preemergent at the end of this month. Preemergent weed control will be applied in planters where weed seeds are a problem and in lawns which had a high population of crabgrass last year. If you prefer a chemical free approach to weed control, putting down a thick layer of bark in your planters this time of year will smother those pesky weeds seeds and I have read that cottonseed meal can help with weed control in the lawn, although I have not tried it.

 

As daytime temperatures increase, slugs and snails will start to become more active. If you bait for them make sure to use a bait that is safe for animals and children. We will be putting out Sluggo around sensitive plants and around boulders where they like to rest.

 

That’s all for now. Enjoy what’s left of winter. I’ll see you on the snow shoe trail!

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