It’s now twenty nine days to spring, less than one month, and I am so excited for it to arrive I’m having a hard time concentrating on what I need to do now, next month, the next month, etc…So I put together a “to-do-now” list that I thought I would share.
- Bring geraniums out of storage; cut them back by half, water well, and set them in a bright, cool window.
- Indoors under lights, start seeds of sun-loving daisies, columbine (Aquilegia spp.), stocks (Matthiola incana), edging lobelia (Lobelia erinus), and shade-seeking impatiens.
- Cauliflower, eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, endive, kale, and lettuce, can be started indoors
- If the ground isn't frozen, sow some spinach and radishes outdoors under cover.
- Branches of forsythia, pussy willow, quince, spirea, and dogwood can be forced for indoor bloom. Make long, slanted cuts when collecting the branches and place the stems in a vase of water. Change the water every four days. They should bloom in about 3 weeks.
- Check stored bulbs, tubers and corms. Discard any that are soft or diseased.
- Shop for early spring flowering shrubs and vines, such as Carolina Jessamine, daphne, azalea, camellia, and early rhododendrons
- Design a flower bed for a shady area to plant this spring and summer. Plan to try impatiens, foxglove, begonia, and browallia.
- Order perennial plants and bulbs now for cut flowers this summer. Particularly good choices are phlox, daisy, dahlia, cosmos, aster, gladiolus, and lily.
- Repair and paint window boxes, lawn furniture, tools and other items in preparation for outdoor gardening and recreational use.
- Late winter is the time to prune many deciduous trees. Look over your plants now and remove dead, dying, or unsightly parts of the tree, sprouts growing at or near the base of the tree trunk and crossed branches.
- Inspect and maintain tools, and take an inventory of your gardening supplies.
Hope you enjoy planning and working towards spring as much as I do! Hope you come back next week for another Perfect Garden Hose update!!
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