As the weather warms up, Bob Westerfield, a horticulturist with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, recommends doing some landscape maintenance including pruning, fertilizing, tilling and weed control.
Prune roses and most other non-spring blooming plants now, prior to their new flush, he said. Early spring blooming plants can be pruned immediately after blooming if they need a trim.
Apply a slow-release fertilizer in late March or early April to give your plants a supply of energy for the growing season.
Early spring is a great time to prepare annual and perennial flowerbeds, he said. Till the bed and add rich compost or top soil even though it may be too early to actually plant some tender annuals.
Weed control is also important in the spring. As the ground begins to warm, many weeds are just waiting to germinate. Applying a registered pre-emergent herbicide or
adding landscape fabric weed cloth or mulch will go a long way to preventing weeds in the garden.
Houseplants can go back outside as daytime temperatures climb above 50 degrees. It is a good idea to bring plants back in, however, if the nighttime temperature dips much cooler than 45 degrees, he said.
