Delicate, fragile and ephemeral are among the adjectives used to describe spring flowers. Nonsense! These plants are among the toughest on earth. Consider: Tuesday, April 17, we had 15 inches of snow. Monday, April 23, it was over 80 degrees. To survive a week like that and then to bloom enthusiastically is not a task for the faint of heart.

Spring blooming trees and flowers deserve a gold star for effort and performance. There isn’t a flower that I don’t like, but daffodils are my favorite. Regardless of what Mother Nature throws at them, come April these cheerful yellow flowers start livening up the landscape and will keep on blooming (unless we get a prolonged hot spell).

We used our summerlike days to finish uncovering roses. We cut them back, trimmed them to shape and when they begin to have leaves we will start applying systemic granules. These granules are marvelous. They protect the rose from insects, diseases and add fertilizer to boot. (A number of manufacturers make them, and I am sure they are all the same.) This protection lasts for six weeks and then the granules need to be reapplied. When you put them on the first time, go to your calendar, count forward six weeks and mark the date with a star. To be really organized, count forward another six weeks and make another reminder.

The granules are easy to apply the first time (you dig them into the dirt around the rose). It’s more difficult when the rose is in full leaf and thorn, but it is worth every penny and all of your time. I also use them around my zinnias and other annuals that are extra-susceptible to disease. The old phrase “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is absolutely right. It is a pain to be applying these granules when it is hot and humid, but this effort prevents problems (it won’t cure them!).

This is perfect weather to be applying fertilizer. Just be sure you use the right kind for the specific plant. Acid-loving plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, hollies and evergreens will be improved by Hollytone (that is its brand name).

Any good 10/10/10 fertilizer will do for the rest of the garden at this point. Apply according to directions. If you have a lot of lawn, you probably have a spreader, but for those who don’t need or want one, it is not difficult to spread fertilizer by hand. Fill a pail and walk east to west, scattering the fertilizer in front of you. When the pail is empty, fill it again and cover the same patch of ground — only this time go north to south. Use the same motion as if you were feeding chickens or putting parsley on the top of a casserole. This will give you very even coverage, and for hard-to-get-to places it is much easier than pulling a spreader behind a tractor.

While it is too early to do much in your perennial bed, this is an ideal time to check your soil. If you see moss growing on the ground, it means your garden needs nourishment (I learned this from Walter Nelson two years ago [Editor's note: Nelson is the former Star-Gazette gardening columnist]). I thought it meant too much acid and was busy giving it lime. When that didn’t help, I called Cooperative Extension and got the real answer. One pound of 10/10/10 per 10 square feet of garden. It works! Over the course of two weeks, I watched the moss disappear.

Before we get too much growth in the garden, check for noxious weeds. I had an infestation of something horrible last year. I dug it out and three days later it was back. I did this over and over and over. This year, I am going to spray it all with Roundup herbicide. Do this on a non-windy day and before too many plants wake up. Roundup will not remain in the soil for more than five days, so it won’t have a negative impact on future plantings.

Dormant oil is still waiting to be applied at our house. Thanks to the brief appearance of summer, the crabapples have budded out. In olden days, that would have been the end of getting trees sprayed. But now there is a lighter formula, which is a godsend for procrastinators. This is not a job to be skipped. You cannot imagine the heartache you will save yourself if you smother disagreeable, overwintering pests determined to devour your trees and shrubs. I speak from experience.

Next week: Do all the things you haven’t done this week.

source : www.stargazettenews.com