Although it has been extremely cold in our part of the world, I know many of you
have experienced those occasional warm sunny February days. This is a perfect time to
start your spring cleanup. Not only will this better prepare your spring garden, but
it's great for severe cases of cabin fever.
Most ornamental grasses are starting to look a little ratty by now and if you wait
much longer to trim them, it will be difficult to remove the old foliage without
damaging the new. Now, if you have had a very cold winter with few warm days,
the foliage may not have started its emergence yet, but it won't be long. So now
is the time to trim. And remember to add the spent grass to your compost pile.
Warm February days are also a great time to clean up all those fallen leaves
that have blown into your yard. You will want to clean these leaves up before
your perennials and bulbs start popping up in March so that you won't be damaging
new growth.
February is also a great time to prune. When to prune is determined greatly by
what you want to accomplish. General thinning can be done in any season. For seasonal
trimming, follow these guidelines:
Spring pruning stimulates the most rapid regrowth and is a good time for
heavy pruning. You will want to prune evergreens in the spring, but avoid
pruning deciduous trees as they leaf out. Do not prune spring-flowering shrubs such
as azaleas, daphnes and forsythias in the spring. You will want to wait until these
shrubs have flowered before pruning so they will have time to grow and set new buds during
summer.
Summer pruning does less to stimulate growth. Hot or dry weather is
extremely stressful for plants, so avoid heavy pruning at this time. It is a good
time to tidy up plants and remove suckers or prune your summer-flowering shrubs
after they bloom.
Mid- to Late-Fall pruning is the time for thinning only, not a time to
make heading (cutting a branch back to a side bud or shoot) cuts. It can stimulate soft new growth that is easily damaged
in fall freezes. And do not prune plants when their leaves are falling.
Late Winter pruning is the traditional time to prune dormant plants;
the leaves have dropped and it is easy to see the plant's form. Winter pruning will
stimulate growth, but the results are delayed until spring. This is a good time
to prune fruit trees, brambles, grapes, roses and summer-blooming shrubs such as
butterfly bushes and hydrangeas.
Please remember that plants succumb to bacteria and viruses just as people do.
While the "germs" that make plants sick are different than those that make us sick,
they are spread in much the same way. Do not use cutting
tools on different plants without disinfecting them between plants. If you are cutting
the diseased portion of a plant off, you should wipe the blade of the tool with
alcohol or another disinfectant between each cut.
