Seasonal Lawn Care and Landscaping Tips
April
- You can begin to plant annuals for the cutting garden. Visit your local garden center to pick out your favorites and to try something new. The most important part of the annual and perennial planting is the preparation of the soil. Use compost, peat moss and sand to loosen up the soil before planting.
- Your tulips are through blooming. Let them dry a bit and dig them out when the foliage is completely dried up. Plant them again in the fall.
- Your spring blooming plants should be pruned and shaped at this time.
- During this second organic lawn fertility treatment you can also treat the moss if the weather remains cool and wet. Treat any remaining moss before it becomes too warm so the lawn does not become stressed.
- If your lawn didn’t make it through the winter well, now is the time to consider over-seeding or complete lawn replacement. This is a big job, so don’t be afraid to seek some professional assistance.
- Start Baiting for slugs: We prefer using herbs like Rosemary and mint, or crushed egg shells around the plants you want to protect. Another environmentally safe alternative is a small bowl with stale beer or grape juice to attract and drown the slugs. Organic or natural slug baits are available. Check to make sure they are safe for pets. Read the label.
May
- Deadhead your rhododendrons, azaleas and Andromeda or any other plant with large flowers.
- Your irrigation system should be started up and ready to go. In Oregon, you should start your system running in mid May until around mid October. No need to start prior to that unless you need to water the annuals.
- Some of your bulbs should be through blooming. Cut off the old flower stems and tie up the rest of the plant to give it a clean look.
- Keep mowing that grass. You will need to get the mower out there at least once per week. By the end of the month you will want to set the mowing height at 2 1/2î. This is great material to add to your compost pile in addition to the spent blooms from the plants.
- A good aeration and lime application for your lawn will help move the pH level back to neutral. This will help the lawn to make better use of the fertilizer and water. Keep on the weeds. If you didn’t apply a pre-emergent you will be spending a lot of time in the beds with the hoe.
- Keep baiting the slugs. There should be lots out there after a wet winter.
June
- Your spring bulbs are through blooming. You can cut them off at the ground and let them dry naturally, or you can cut off the blossoms, bend them over and tie up the foliage. When the foliage is dry, just pick it up and leave the bulb alone to bloom next year.
- Bait for slugs: We prefer using herbs like Rosemary and mint, or crushed egg shells around the plants you want to protect. Another environmentally safe alternative is a small bowl with stale beer or grape juice to attract and drown the slugs. Organic or natural slug baits are available. Check to make sure they are safe for pets. Read the label.
- Your roses may be through with the first blooming. For a lot of new roses, just top them off and you will be rewarded with a lot of flowers. For single stemmed roses, cut them back to the first five leaf eye. Time to apply another organic fertilization for your roses to maintain summer health.
- Always look for compost material – flowers that are cut off, lawn clippings or any material that will decompose makes a great addition to your compost bin.
- You should be on your third turf fertilization this month. Hopefully, with the first two, you were able to give the moss a knock-out blow. Keep your lawn watering to morning hours to reduce the chance of disease.
- Make sure your irrigation system is turned on and optimized. June is the start of the watering months for our area as we go into longer day length.
- Any compost material that you place around the base of shrubbery and trees will keep them damp through the summer with a lot less watering.
- Suckers are now appearing on lots of your trees and shrubs. Keep up with the pruning during the next couple of months.
