Plants need protection at this time of year against weather and animals. Build a windscreen around less hardy plants and protect the root systems with 2-3” of hardwood mulch. Animals are looking for food and shelter and unfortunately our planting beds are an ideal source. Use fencing, baits or traps to discourage pests.
Remove heavy snow from evergreens as soon as possible after a storm. Use a broom in an upward, sweeping motion. Serious damage may be caused by heavy snow or ice accumulating on the branches. Prune away storm damaged branches promptly to prevent tearing of the bark and further injury to the trees or shrubs.
Start planning your spring garden by reading your garden magazines and surfing the web for new introductions.
Prune any shade and non-flowering ornamental shrubs while you can still see the branching structure. Enjoy the blooms on the flowering varieties before you prune them.
Wind and winter may have left your most recent fall plantings a little less straight than you left them in the fall. Now would be a good time to straighten them before the root systems begin to get active.
Cut back ornamental grasses and mow liriope before they show new growth.
Fertilize your lawn in mid-March. Contact our garden centers for a complete lawn care program or for any information you may need to keep your lawn healthy all season.
Spring is finally here but late frosts are a possibility until around Mother’s Day. So be patient when contemplating planting your beds. Preen for weed control may be applied but be sure to read the labels so you do not injure your plants.
Bulbs could use a light coating of fertilizer broadcast on the planting beds. As their blooms fade, cut off spent flower stalks, but don’t remove the foliage until it yellows as it nourishes the bulb.
Core aerate your lawn! Seed or overseed lawn areas. There have been major advances in grass seeds and our garden centers will have the correct seed mix for your lawn. Fungicide can be applied to your lawn to correct any snow mold, brown patch or dollar spot problems winter may have caused. Remember to fertilize your lawn and control those weeds.
Roses need to be uncovered and pruned back to about 12”. Feed with Rose-tone fertilizer and use a systemic insect and disease control when the new growth begins to appear.
We carry Espoma fertilizer products: Tree-tone, Plant-tone, Holly-tone as well as the Rose-tone for all your landscaping needs throughout the growing season.
Watch for insects and diseases in your landscape. Ohio State University Extension publishes a bulletin #504: Insect and Mite Control on Woody Ornamentals and Herbaceous Perennials and Bulletin #614 Disease Control in the Landscape. They are available from the Extension Service or we have reference copies at our garden centers. These booklets are an invaluable tool for monitoring and treating problems in your landscape. Visit ohioline.osu.edu on the web for anything you need to know about plants!
Prune flowering shrubs within six weeks after they finish blooming. They begin to set bloom buds soon after this season’s blooms fade and the plant may need a little shaping or thinning. Pruning now guarantees better and stronger blooms for next year.
It is normally safe to plant annuals around Mother’s Day-just watch the forecast for any predictions of a late frost. There are many fertilizer’s available for your annuals and vegetables. Plant-tone, Osmocote, Miracle-Gro and many others are all available to suit your individual needs. Just ask any of our well-informed garden center associates to assist you in making a selection.
Remember to pinch or snip off spent blooms to keep most flowers looking their best. Your container plantings will normally require more water than your bedding plants.
As soon as the soil warms up and dries out from our spring rains a 2-3” layer of mulch may be added to rejuvenate those worn looking beds. Mulch will help prevent weeds and retain moisture in the soil for those dry months to come. It will also make your landscape look new and attractive again.
Take time to stroll around your yard and enjoy your beautiful landscape!
Be sure to water all plantings if we do not receive at least one inch of rain per week.
Avoid overhead irrigation and watering late in the day as this promotes foliar diseases because the leaves stay too wet.
Roses need to be fed monthly during the growing season for great blooms. Monitor for diseases and insects as well.
Control mosquitoes by eliminating all sources of standing water!
Grubs may be the cause of those brown patches in your lawn. Merit, GrubEx, Bayer Advanced Lawn Season-Long Grub Control and Milky Spore are some of the products available to control grubs. Read and follow the manufacturer’s directions, as proper timing is needed for all-season control.
Lawns need about one and a half inches of water/rain per week. Raise your mower blade up an inch during the summer months and only remove one third of the grass blade each time you mow. Lawn renovation should take place from late August through mid-October for best results. Mulch the seed lightly with straw to retain moisture.
Remove those weeds! This will help prevent the spread of insects and diseases and keep your plants growing much more vigorously.
Fall is for Planting! This is the perfect time to plant trees, shrubs and evergreens.
Remember Siebenthaler’s Tree Sale is the last weekend in September and first weekend in October for great buys on all our trees, evergreens, shrubs and perennials!
Fall is the only time to plant spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils, tulips, crocus and hyacinths. Don’t forget to water thoroughly once the bulbs are in the ground.
Mulch your planting beds in late fall. Give your plants that extra blanket of protection they will need for winter. Mulch will also enhance the beauty of dull looking planting beds through winter.
Continue watering until the ground freezes if we don’t receive adequate rain or snow.
Fertilize deciduous trees with Tree-tone. For acid-loving evergreens, hollies rhododendrons etc. use Holly-tone fertilizer
Leave the last blossoms on your roses to form seedpods. This helps the plants into dormancy. After the first hard freeze, cut back the canes and cover with mulch, peat or mushroom compost. This will protect the plants through the winter.
Fungus and disease can be a problem if you don’t clean up the fall “droppings”. Seedpods, rotting fruit and leaves can harbor disease, insects and larvae through the winter.
Anti-desiccants such as Wilt-Pruf should be sprayed when the temperature is above freezing. This will help your broadleaf plants make it through the drying winter winds.
Please call or visit our garden centers if you have any concerns. Everyone at Siebenthaler’s is committed to satisfying our customers landscaping needs!