Spring Gardening Tips

It’s that time:

 

Complete pruning of non-spring flowering shrubs and ornamental trees before growth starts.

 

Do not prune trees that bleed, such as birch and maple, until after their leaves have fully developed.

 

Prune spring flowering shrubs, such as forsythia and spirea, as soon as they finish flowering.

 

Pull weeds in bulb beds by hand to minimize disruption of bulbs and roots.

 

Do not remove bulb foliage until it yellows and begins to die back naturally.  The leaves are necessary to produce strong bulbs capable of re-flowering.

 

Cut back perennial foliage, if it was not done in the fall. This practice will minimize disease problems and maximize new shoot development.

 

Hang hummingbird feeders and set out oranges and grape jelly to attract Northern Orioles. Orioles arrive in Omaha in late April or early May and frequent feeders until mid-June. Hummingbirds are most frequently found at feeders in May and again in mid-August through September.

 

Consider the mature size of each plant when planning new landscape projects.

 

from various source