Year-Round Advice to Keep Your Garden Beautiful

February is a good month to prepare for the coming growing season and do some early planting of trees and hardy shrubs. Fruit trees, nut trees, and shade trees should be planted now. These trees tend to start growing feeder roots before they grow leaves. So plant them early so they can get these new roots established. Hardy shrubs like holly, nandina, Indian hawthorn, photinia, and wax myrtle are very tolerant of cold and can be planted now. This is also an excellent time to do any transplanting of shrubs and trees that need to be moved in the yard. Applying a root stimulator to new trees and shrubs will get them established much faster. 

In the garden, the cool season plants like lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, asparagus and strawberries need to be planted early so they can produce before the heat comes. Many people like to start their tomatoes and peppers indoors at this time so they can get an early start. 

In your perennial garden, now is the time to divide and trim these back, removing the frozen stubble. Trimming trees and shrubs, if not already done, needs to be done. February is an ideal month to trim because if you trim too early the plants tend to want to leaf out too early and then get nipped by a late frost. Valentine’s Day is a good reminder that it is time to trim the roses back. Most hybrid tea roses should be cut back to 18-24”. To get the best selection and varieties of roses, now is the time to get your roses in. fruit and shade trees may need to be shaped, removing any dead branches, sucker shoots, and erratic growth. Generally topping a tree is not recommended. 

This is also the time to apply a pre-emergent to your lawn. Corn gluten is nearly the only organic pre-emergent available. It has a fertilizer value of 9% nitrogen and the weed control lasts about six weeks.

Conventional pre-emergent herbicides like Hy-Yield Turf and Ornamental grass stopper, Nitro-Phos Barricade, Bonide Crabgrass Weed Preventer with Dimension and Fertilome Weed Control with Gallery will last about three to four months.

Mark S. Ney, Certified Texas Nursery Professional #4749

March is a good time of year to prepare planting areas and get the yard in shape. Soil preparation before planting a flowerbed or vegetable garden should be as important as doing the actual planting. Blending in a good soil conditioner into planting areas will help insure that the plants that will be planted will do much better and be better established going into the heat of the summer. Some of the soil conditioners available are composted cotton seed burs, peat moss, composted manures, humus, and mushroom compost. 

“Once the ground is prepared, now is a good time to plant hearty trees and shrubs. This is a very good time of the year to do spring fertilizing on the lawn. There are a number of very good lawn fertilizers available. We feel the best lawn fertilizers will contain more slow nitrogen, iron, and sulfur. Some of the best fertilizers available are Nitro-Phos Superturf 19-4-10 and McIntires 9-3-4, Feed Store 16-4-8, and for the organic gardener, Milorganite 5-2-0 and Nature's Creation Turf Food are very good.”

This is also the best time for planting fruit and nut trees. There are many recommended varieties available for this area. 

Mark S. Ney, Certified Texas Nursery Professional #4749

April is a good time for planting your annual color bedding plants. By this time of the year, soil temperatures are warming, we are beyond any more frost, and the summer heat has not set in. In shade and morning sun areas Impatiens, Begonias, Coleus, Polka Dot, Torenia, and Caladiums should do very well. For areas with full and afternoon sun Geraniums, Salvia, Purslane, Moss Rose, Marigolds, Verbena, Zinnia, Vinca, and Dianthus to name a few of the most colorful. Many of these can be planted from seed at this time. There are many perennials for sun and shade that once planted will give you years of color without having to replant every year. Planting any of these with a little soil preparation and a little bone and blood meal should give you color all season long.

This is a good month for feeding your existing trees and shrubs. Using an organic fertilizer such as Trifecta will help your trees and shrubs deal with the heat of the summer as well as condition the soil for better nutrient absorption. If you prefer granules, Milorganite, Feed Store 16-4-8 and Fertilome Tree & Shrub food can be used in spring and fall.

Vegetables and Herbs need to be put in now that danger of frost is over. Cucumber, Squash, Eggplant, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Tomatoes, and Peppers are now available in seed or little starter plants. Basil, Cilantro, Oregano, Parsley, Thyme, Rosemary, Sage, and the Mints are also now available as little plants or seed.

Mark S. Ney, Certified Texas Nursery Professional #4749

We are now getting to the time of the year when our soil temperatures are warm enough to plant bermuda seed and some seasonal color that does better in the warmer temperatures. If you have an area where you would like to establish a Bermuda lawn from seed, this is the time to get started. Bermuda requires warm nighttime temperatures of 60-65 degrees, to germinate. First thing to do is to kill and then remove any annual or perennial weed. Spraying the area with Killzall or Finale to kill the weeds first will save you a lot of work later. It will take a week or two for the weeds to die. Next, you want to do any leveling, grading, or filling necessary to make sure the area is smooth and drains well. There should be at least 1" of loose soil on the surface. Apply a mild fertilizer such as Milorganite or Ferti-lome New Lawn Starter. Now apply your seed with a broadcast spreader. This is a good method to go by if you are laying Bermuda or St. Augustine sod as well. Water enough to keep the ground visibly moist for 2-3 weeks (to get the seed up) and then start cutting back on the water a little at a time until you are watering twice a week. This first year will require more watering to get the yard established than in future years.

To have color in the summer heat plant zinnias, periwinkles, cosmos, purslane, and moss rose. These plants do not do well if planted too early. Some of these tend to have fungus and rotting problems in the spring before temperatures become warm enough. In more shaded areas caladiums, impatiens, and begonias are good for color. If you need shade, May is about as late as you can plant trees before the heat sets in. Trees planted now will need the same amount of water as trees planted two months ago. Place trees so that their shadows will fall on windows and patios where you would like some relief from the heat this summer.

Mark S. Ney, Certified Texas Nursery Professional #4749

Spring has now progressed to the point where the trees and shrubs have leafed out and are looking good and wouldn't you know it, here come the bugs. Aphids, grasshoppers, whiteflies, and caterpillars of all kinds can be problems. In the past, products like Sevin have been used to control these pests. These products are effective but may not last long and can be a hazard to you and the environment. Here are some different ways to fight these pests that can save you time, money, and the environment.

Caterpillars can be very destructive in gardens, shrubs, and trees. Dipel (a dust) and BT (a spray) are a biological insecticide that can safely kill caterpillars without killing birds, beneficial insects, harming us or the environment.

Compare having to spray for aphids every 7 to 14 days to releasing Ladybugs just once. The Ladybugs will attack aphids all season long so you do not have to. They also feed on small worms and several types of insect eggs.

Beneficial Nematodes will stay active in the soil for about two years attacking cutworms, wireworms, sod webworms, mole crickets, maggots, white grubs, and many others. This is a great natural option, because it is very difficult to get the right chemical insecticide down at just the right time. Beneficial Nematodes take the guesswork out of controlling many hard to control insects. Next time you have an insect problem, compare the benefits of using some of the natural products to the toxic ones and I think you find them to save you money by being more effective over a longer time.

Mark S. Ney, Certified Texas Nursery Professional #4749

July is the time of year when mulching your flower beds can benefit you and your plants. Mulching holds moisture in the beds, keeps the soil cool in summer and retains heat in winter, helps keep the weeds out, and decomposes to enrich your soil. There are many types of mulches available. Pine mulch is widely used because it is the least expensive, and is dark in color. Hardwood mulch is dark in color and shredded so it mats together and does not float away. Cypress mulch is blonde in color, has very few insect problems, does not float, and decomposes very slowly. Cedar mulch is very good at preventing weeds and insects. As you can see, there are many types of mulch to choose from so that you can meet the needs of your garden.

July is also a month with a lot of insect activity. June bugs will be laying their eggs in yards which produce white grubs. Fleas, ticks, ants and chinch bugs are also active at this time of the year. Introducing beneficial nematodes to your yard will help control grubs, fleas, and other ground insects for up to two years. Milky Spore is an effective way to control grubs for many years. NoLo bait is effective grasshopper bait that kills many grasshoppers as it spreads from grasshopper to grasshopper and may continue into next year. We do not carry NoLo Bait in-store, but you can order it online! However, you'll need to make sure to check the expiration date as NoLo Bait has a very short shelf life!

Mark S. Ney, Certified Texas Nursery Professional #4749

It is hard to believe it is already time to be thinking about a fall garden. August is a great time to till and prepare your soil for a fall garden. Gypsum and composted cottonseed hull are two very good things to till in. Both of these materials will help the soil stay loose and lower the alkalinity. As a general rule, most of the seed for your warm season vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, beans, and etc.) should be planted around the 1st of August. Starter plants should be in by the 15th. The cool season vegetables (broccoli, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, and etc) go in September.

In the lawn, keep an eye out for chinch bugs. This is an insect that thrives in the heat and can do a lot of damage in a very short time. The damage shows up usually in full sun areas as an ill-defined area where the grass thins and dies. This insect is easily controlled with an application of Nitro-Phos Bug Out Granules. In one week these insects can do a lot of damage.

Mark S. Ney, Certified Texas Nursery Professional #4749

Want to stop the winter weeds before they get started? Now is the time to apply a pre-emergent weed killer to your lawn so you will not have to fight these weeds in the spring. These pre-emergent herbicides can be bought by themselves or with fertilizer and kill weed seed as it germinates for about three months. Hy-Yield Turf & Ornamental weed killer & Fertilome Over The Top II Grass Killer Systemic Selective Herbicide kills weedy grasses without killing desirable plants flower beds. Ferti-lome All Seasons has the pre-emergent herbicide Barricade in it as well as fertilizer. This can save time and money by having to buy one product and having to apply only one product. Ferti-lome All Seasons can be applied in the spring to fertilize and prevent weeds that sprout in the spring. A good fertilizing in the fall will help your lawn recover from the heat of this last summer and promote root and stem growth to help get it through the coming winter. Fall fertilizing is important in helping your lawn tolerate the cold and getting started again in the spring.

Now is the time to plant Pansies, Snapdragons, Calendula, Mums, Fall Asters, Dianthus and Cyclamen to add color to your yard this fall and winter. The Pansy, Snapdragons, and Calendulas are annuals and will last through April or May of next year. The Mums and Fall Asters will bloom this fall, then freeze, then come back in the spring and bloom again. These plants are hardy perennials and will repeat this cycle for years. Fall is also a great time of year to plant trees and shrubs. Planting and getting the trees and shrubs established in the fall will allow them more time to get their roots established for next summer.

Mark S. Ney, Certified Texas Nursery Professional #4749