Wrap Up the Spring Garden and Get Ready for Summer

Weather in the Mountain States can be irregular . Okay , maybe that is downplay it . permit ’s call it what it is : weather condition whiplash injury . We assume layer to deal with this atmospheric condition , and we can apply layer of plants and layers of pastime to our garden .

Here ’s a quick run through of the thing that postulate our attention this fourth dimension of year .

Prune leap blooming shrubsafterthey put on their big show . Lilac ( Syringaspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–8 ) , forsythia ( Forsythiaspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) , kerria ( Kerria japonica , Zones 4–9 ) , and deutzia ( Deutziaspp . and cvs . , Zones 5–8 ) can all be shaped , and deadwood remove . If you are so fain , transfer the spent blossom clump from lilac can increase the phone number and size of heyday next year . It is not necessary , but for some obsessional horticulture types , it is the kind of task we relish .

turn out back spent iris stems , and click the seminal fluid straits from your tulips and daffodils . cut off the blow - out buds of old human beings ’s whiskers ( Geum triflorum , Zones 3–7 ) and creeping veronica ( Veronica repens , Zones 3–9 ) . transfer the seed heads of your decorative alliums — off with their heads ! In the warmest role of the realm , cut the aster ( Symphyotrichumspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–8 ) back by at least a third . Get a suitcase on that wisteria(Wisteriaspp . and cvs . , Zones 5 - 9 ) . Give the clematis ( Clematisspp . and cvs . , zone 4–11 ) a haircut , redirecting the vines and holding them in position with golosh - coat compromising wire or zip tie .

Run your sprinkler organization , and do a thoroughgoing assay of it . ensure the sprinkler head are not blocked by the overgrown coneflowers ( Echinaceaspp . and cvs . , Zones 3 - 9 ) or decorative grasses . If they are , something has to give . I intimate the sprinkler head be move . Are the heads all working expeditiously ? Are the station running long enough or too long ? Too long means your perfectly ripe money is execute the right way down the proverbial drain . Really .

There is still sentence to constitute or replant , as in my font , the temperamental bush beansand other loath germinators . No cuss allowed !

shoot your garden . Take pictures of every last detail . utilise your calendar to make notes . Our memories are not what they used to be . Tuck disposable wooden chopstick or lolly stick autograph with indelible ink next to plants , reminding yourself of promises you made : “ Gift three of these orange flag to my supporter Sue , ” or “ Move half of this methamphetamine hydrochloride works to the other side of the path when it cool down . ”

By the time you read this , most of us will be out of the woodwind instrument as far as a last frost goes . No warrant , but let ’s get out there and get on with our horticulture !

Mary Ann Newcomer is the author of two books : Rocky Mountain Gardener ’s HandbookandVegetable Gardening in the Mountain States .

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