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.