Is it still February?

Think spring, and it will happen...........
Chinese Trumpet lily 'Pink Perfection.' Last fall I planted 50 of these beauties, and several other kinds of Asiatic & Oriental Lilies, about 500 total. These gorgeous lilies will be added to our cut flower bouquets mid summer.

One of my favorite tulips, 'Big Smile.' It is enormous! The flower head is nearly 4". We planted over 1,100 assorted tulips last year, can't wait to see them. These will be in the early spring bouquets with lilacs, cherry & apple blossom stems, yum. If you cut your own tulips, you may sacrifice the entire plant. After you cut them, if not enough foliage is left on the stem, the plant cannot manufacture food for itself for next year. If you must cut, then cut little shorties and leave the stem w/the plant. We have the same issue, so tulips would be a yearly planting for us. But in an established flower bed, you may not want to replace every year.

This lily is 'rubrum speciosum.' It can get up to 5 feet tall. It is highly fragrant. These will be ready for bouquets in early to mid summer. For information on our bouquet program, click on the link on the right hand side.

Spring Tips from Earthworks Gardens

I know it's early, but when spring really IS here, I may be to busy to pass these on!
If you have questions on these garden tips, they can be answered at the garden classes!

1. Prune non-flowering deciduous shrubs back before new growth starts. Flowering shrubs
should be pruned back right after their own flowering period, like lilacs.

2. Any trees girdled from the cute little rabbits, (kaboom!) should be pulled out. Growth from
the stump is NOT the apple tree you wanted , but the rootstock.

3. If we have a dry spring, don't let your shrubs and trees, especially the young plants suffer.
Apply one inch of water per week if no rain falls, get them off to a good start. Your trees and
shrubs are your most expensive plants, take care of them.

4. Don't tip prune your evergreens like Spruce, let them be natural. Or in 15 yrs. you'll have a
compacted mess at the top, and loose au natural on the bottom, happens everytime.....

5. Remove any plastic rings from around the trees, that the trees have outgrown. Seriously,
have you seen some of them? They can become embedded right in the tree, not good.

6. Gently rake the spring lawn.... gently I say!!!! Do your tougher raking in the fall when the
grass is fully grown and tough. Hard spring raking rips up tender new grass plants.