Regional Reminders
April 10, 2008
Northern & Central Midwest
By
Kate Jerome,
Pleasant Prairie, WI
Divide Perennials
If perennials signaled you last year with reduced flowering, smaller flowers, open centers, or lack of vigor, plan to divide the plants before they get too far along in the season. Spring is an ideal time to divide. Simply dig up, split, and replant.
Wait to Plant Summer Annuals
Don't push the season too much. Even though garden centers may be selling summer annuals, don't be in a rush to put them out in the garden or in containers until the threat of frost is completely gone. If you must purchase, put them out on sunny days and bring them in at night.
Celebrate Earth Day!
Find a neighborhood group to help with clean up, take part in a "green school" event in which children are taught stewardship of the planet, and make yourself heard by corresponding with your local politicians about important ecological events.
Uncover Roses Carefully
Begin uncovering roses when the night temperatures stay above 45 degrees. Remove mulch and carefully hose away mounded soil. Avoid using sharp tools around the base of bushes. Top-dress with an organic, slow-release 6-2-0 fertilizer such as Milorganite. Prune dead stems back to live wood.
Begin Moving Houseplants Outdoors
When daytime temperatures are in the 60s, bring houseplants outdoors for a winter break. Bring them back inside at night if the temperature is expected to drop below 45 degrees. By mid-May they should be hardened off and the temperatures should be warm enough for them to go permanently into the garden for the summer.
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