Home Gardener: Timing is Everything!

Timing is everything in the spring garden! So it is at the end of April. This is an excellent time for some pruning. I suggest that if you haven’t already done so, you can cut off all dead branches on your rose bushes. If they are too tall, trim them now. And it is the right time to prune that butterfly bush before it gets too active. Butterfly bushes have weak branches—the taller they get, the weaker they get—and a big windstorm can wreck a bush if you left it too tall. So cut it way back and it will re-grow rapidly, giving you lots of blooms this summer. Trim those berry bushes, such as raspberry and blueberry, although I just can’t figure out the best time to trim my raspberries. Maybe I will have to research that and figure it out once and for all.

Some things to wait on include pruning most other shrubs. The rule of thumb is that if it blooms in the spring, never prune before it blooms. Prune right after it is done blooming. This includes lilacs and any other spring bloomers. If you prune them too late they will have already formed their buds for next spring, so get right on it in the weeks after blossoms fade. Cut any winter damage now and remove crossed branches and any that you deem unnecessary.

Fruit trees can be pruned from mid-winter until late spring. You might choose to wait until after they bloom so you can enjoy the pretty cloud of blossoms. Non-fruit or shade trees should not be pruned in summer or fall, so if you want to do it, get right on it in spring.

Now is a great time to move plants including roses, shrubs, small trees and any "volunteer plants" that re-seeded in a location you are not particularly happy with. I have successfully moved many young larkspur and poppy plants that sprang up in my vegetable garden. It is chilly enough that they will rebound rapidly if you water them well. If the weather suddenly heats up, cover them for a couple of days and re-water them every day.

I just cleared a weedy area and laid down some groundcover babies that were in need of a better home. I then watered it well. It looks great, and remember, nature abhors a vacuum. I would rather have pretty groundcover as opposed to a weed patch! This is a great time for such activities, while plants are small and the weather is helpful. Rain within a few days is very nice for those just moved plants.

Do not move any spring bulbs until after the blossoms are long gone and after the
leaves have yellowed or even turned dry and brown. Please do not cut them short before then. If you must, twirl them into a loose knot to tidy the plant, but tulips and daffodils need those leaves to grow the bulb strong for the next season. You will be damaging next spring’s blooms if you cut the leaves off too soon, meaning while they are still green.

Now is also the perfect time to clean your pond if you have a small ornamental one. This is not necessary every year; every 4-5 years is good. You can put all that gunky water from it all over your gardens and the natural fish fertilizer will be beneficial to all growing things you put it on. Be careful not to throw away mayfly/dragonfly nymphs or other creepy things. Toss them back in. Ditto for stay fish or tadpoles! One spring morning my daughter scooped up a snoozing frog, which rapidly woke up and tried to climb her arm to safety. She was about 11 and got pretty hysterical for a few minutes. Thinking back it was pretty funny. I quickly tossed it away from her and flipped it into another pond. It was not seen for a month—must have been hiding out from the shock of Kasey’s unearthly shriek! 

Also this is the right time to divide and repot marginal water plants and water lilies while they do not have that many leaves. Don't leave lilies out of the pond for more than a couple hours, or the leaves will be severely damaged. Keep your fish safely in a barrel of pond water while you do this pond cleaning!

So, prune after blooms, prune before summer. Transplant, plant, relocate and otherwise beautify the garden now while it is cool and damp. Mid-summer is a terrible time to transplant anything. Brisk spring days and chilly nights are much more conducive to allowing plants to settle in and get a good start in a new location. And remember, don’t plant any frost sensitive plants just yet. No matter how tempted you are!