Avoid these actions in your garden prior to spring:
While the garden centers might be bursting with blossoms this season, don't let their allure fool you. Linda Vater, an expert for Southern Living® Plant Collection, warns that it might be too early to plant some of those blooms if your region's last average frost date hasn't passed yet. This is especially true for tender annuals or plants that are marginally hardy in your area.
Beyond planting, there are a variety of other tasks better left for warmer days and nights. So, how do you know when it's safe to get out there and what tasks should you tackle now? Here, Linda Vater and Kelly Funk, the president & CEO of Jackson & Perkins, share their insights.
Waiting for Mother Nature's Green Light
In the South, it's a good rule of thumb to plant early to give plants plenty of time to get established before the summer heat tests their mettle. However, that doesn't mean forsaking the forecast and the threat of more dipping temperatures.
A good rule of thumb is to wait until the soil is no longer soggy, nighttime temperatures are consistently above freezing, and buds start swelling naturally. Planting prematurely can mean working on frozen, wet, or unstable soil that can damage both the plant roots and soil structure. You can test the soil by squeezing a handful. If it crumbles, it's ready for planting.
Once Mother Nature has given you the go-ahead, Vater recommends planting broadleaf evergreens such as gardenias, camellias, and hollies during this early planting season.
Gardening Tasks You Should Skip Until Spring
We know it's tempting to get out in the garden before the warm days and nights have arrived in full force. But doing so can do more harm than good. Here are some tasks that are worth putting off until the last threat of freezing temperatures has passed:
Pruning Flowering Shrubs
Shrubs like azaleas, rhododendrons, and gardenias are already developing their buds for spring. Pruning now may jeopardize this year's bloom display. Funk advises holding off on heavy pruning of roses as well, as cutting too early can encourage new growth to sprout at a time when damaging frosts could still be lurking.
Cutting Back Perennials, Grasses, and Other Plants
Cutting back perennials, grasses, and other plants too early can disrupt the lifecycle of beneficial insects, butterflies, and pollinators that overwinter in the hallow stems and thick foliage of perennials and natural grasses. For this reason, the plant expert advises keeping those garden shears in hibernation until you spot new growth.
Applying Mulch Too Soon
Mulching at the right time can help plants retain nutrients, moderate temperature fluctuations, and prevent erosion. But applying mulch too early can trap cold moisture around roots rather than warming the soil. Wait until planting season arrives before freshening up your mulch.
Planting Before Your Last Average Frost
If you're considering a plant that typically thrives in USDA Zones that are a bit warmer than yours, you'll want to wait until the threat of frost has passed before putting the plant in the ground—even if that plant has already arrived on store shelves in your area. You might be able to get away with some varieties that are hardy in your USDA Zone, but it's best to hold off on planting until the warm weather has arrived.
Moving Overwintered Plants Back Outside
If you moved any tender perennials or shrubs into a garage or sunny spot in your home over the winter, you need to wait until true spring arrives before beginning to reacclimate them to life outside. After all the care you've put in all winter, you don't want to lose them to a rogue late-season freeze!
Things You Can Do in Your Garden Now
If you're itching to get out in the yard, Vater and Funk say there are a few things you can go ahead and check off your list:
- Clean Up Winter Debris: Remove fallen branches, old mulch, and leaves before beginning spring gardening. This can help reduce and prevent diseases and pests.
- Inspect Your Garden: While it's best to hold off on most pruning until the warm weather arrives, removing dead canes from your roses, mulching any emerging spring bulbs to insulate them from temperature swings, and trimming off dead growth on hardy perennials can be done now.
- Prepare Garden Beds and Containers: To get those garden beds ready for the growing season ahead, check soil pH, add compost, and apply a slow-release fertilizer. Clean and sanitize small planters and gardening tools as well.
- Plan Ahead: No matter what the weather is like, you can still make gardening plans for the future. Planning and building features like trellises, paths, and retaining walls can help satisfy your green thumb before the warm weather hits. Do some research into cold-hardy and heat-tolerant plants as well.
Despite the abundance of blooms at garden centers, Linda Vater from Southern Living® Plant Collection advises caution for those in regions yet to pass their last average frost date. This is particularly important for tender annuals and marginally hardy plants.
Once the soil is no longer soggy, nighttime temperatures are consistently above freezing, and buds start swelling naturally, it's safe to plant. Premature planting can result in damage to both plant roots and soil structure due to frozen, wet, or unstable soil.
In the early planting season, Vater suggests planting broadleaf evergreens like gardenias, camellias, and hollies. Pruning flowering shrubs like azaleas and gardenias, cutting back perennials, grasses, and other plants, applying mulch too soon, and moving overwintered plants back outside should all be postponed until spring.
While waiting, you can clean up winter debris, inspect your garden, prepare garden beds and containers, and plan ahead for future gardening projects, researching cold-hardy and heat-tolerant plants.
