Wheaton Garden Club

Lift and divide perennial plants now to improve their vigor and create new plants for your garden.

Divide Hostas before they come into leaf.

You can start to move evergreen shrubs and trees now provided the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged.

Plant summer-flowering bulbs such as Lilies, Gladiolus and Ranunculus into beds, borders and containers.

Feed trees, shrubs and hedges with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer by lightly forking it into the soil surface. Roses are greedy plants and will greatly benefit from feeding as they come into growth. Continue reading “Horticulture Report – April 2018”

Shrubs and trees
In most areas it is still possible to do dormant spraying of fruit trees until the 15th, after that date dilute the spray by 1/2. Spraying should be done on a still day with the temperature above 40 degrees F.
Late March and early April is a good time to transplant shrubs and trees. As soon as the soil is workable, but before buds have swelled or broken open, you can move shrubs and trees.
Fertilize shrubs and trees if this wasn’t done in February. Use an acid type rhododendron fertilizer to feed evergreens, conifers, broad leaf evergreens, rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. Use an all-purpose fertilizer to feed roses and other deciduous trees and shrubs. If you use granular type fertilizers, be sure to water it in thoroughly.
Finish pruning fruit trees this month – before the buds swell.
Perennials, annuals, and bulbs
There is often a strong temptation to start removing winter mulches from your flower beds…. WAIT!!! Pull the mulch off gradually as the plants show signs of new growth. Continue reading “Horticulture Report – March 2018”

February Gardening

Zone 5
Order seeds
Sow seeds for hardy spring-blooming plants
Cut back on feeding houseplants (do not feed dormant houseplants)
Sow seeds for cool-weather vegetables
Sow frost-tolerant perennials indoors
Shrubs and trees
Deciduous shrubs and trees are still dormant enough to transplant this month, once the buds have begun to swell, it will be too late. Click these links for information on transplanting azaleas or moving specimen plants.
Trees which weren’t fed last fall should be deep fed by punching a series of 1-2 inch holes two feet apart around the drip line and filled with an appropriate food. A mulch of well composted manure is also an excellent treat for your tree.
Mid to late February is the time to fertilize shrubs and evergreens. Use an acid type rhododendron fertilizer to feed evergreens, conifers, broad leaf evergreens, rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. Use an all-purpose fertilizer to feed roses and other Continue reading “Horticulture Report – February 2018”

Please feed the birds and provide them with unfrozen water. If there is snow on the ground and you don’t have a feeder, a simple piece of plywood, a scrap of carpet or even cardboard will create a very good feeding area. It’s easy to clean. Just turn it over if it happens to get covered by a fresh snowfall.

We had a few warm days in December and if some bulbs got the foolish idea that spring was coming, add a little compost and a thick layer of mulch to protect the tender new growth. This is an excellent use for the branches of your discarded Christmas tree or Continue reading “Horticulture Report – January 2018”

I know that just about the last thing on anyone’s mind in December is gardening, no matter where you live. But just in case you need to get outdoors to clear your head of all those lists and too much eggnog, here are a few garden chores that can be done now, without taking too much time from your festivities. And if you’re lucky enough to have plenty of evergreens and berries in your yard, now if a good time to prune and to have them do double duty as decorations.

This year, consider purchasing a living Christmas tree for your home. They really aren’t that much more expensive than a cut tree. This is an excellent way to improve your landscape, and at the same time, save a tree. Before bringing a living tree into the house, Continue reading “Horticulture Report – December 2017”