Greenhouses are filling with plants and local nurseries are gearing up for a busy spring season.

But it’s been kinda cold.

Those flowers, bushes and ornamental grasses are sure tempting for those itching to work in the yard, but is it safe to plant outside when nighttime temperatures can still dip into the 20s?

Sure — as long as your spade doesn’t break when you plunge it into the earth.

“As long as your soil’s workable,” said Janni Kerns at Ace Nursery.

This is a good time to plant conifers, shrubs (like lilacs) and trees, she said. Perennial plants are available too, but might need a little extra attention.

“You still might want to cover the perennials,” she said.

At the nursery, Kerns pulls a light frost cloth over the plants left outside at night. An old bedsheet works, too.

It’s also safe to plant strawberries, raspberries and Continued from Page 1

blueberries. That latter berry, though, requires an acidic soil — consult with a gardening professional for the best way to amend the soil.

Appropriate plants and trees for Baker County are those that grow in Zone 4, which is rated to a minimum temperature of 30 degrees below zero.

Shopping locally makes it easy to choose plants that will survive. Nurseries here stock specimens that are hardy enough to survive hot summers and cold winters. Also, the nursery specialists can offer advice on what types of flowers, trees or shrubs would work best in the environment you’re working with, such as full sun, part sun or full shade.

Early for annuals

Kerns said it might be best to wait a while before planting annuals, which are those varieties that bloom for only one season.

Well, there’s one cool weather annual that might be safe.

“Pansies, maybe, if you cover them,” Kerns said.

One option is to plant annuals in a pot you can take inside at night and set outside during the day. This technique, though, still takes attention for the more delicate plants.

“They can get burned from sunlight, shocked by cold,” Kerns said.

Outdoor plants that were wintered indoors need to be acclimated by spending a few hours a day outside until the temperature is more consistently warm.

No matter what you choose to plant right now, don’t expect much action for a few weeks because most everything will remain dormant for a while.

“It’s not going to do anything until the soil warms up,” Kerns said.

source : www.bakercityherald.com