Spring is upon us

Although it is not quite Spring yet, now is the time to start working in your garden. Preparation is the key to healthy plants and flowers. Let's get outside and assess winter had on zone 8 plants.

• Trim back dead areas of perennials plants that have suffered from frost or freezing.
• Trim fruit trees before any budding begins in early spring.
• Pull weeds from the bedding areas or cultivate young weeds into the soil.
• Gradually remove the winter mulch over a period of about 2 weeks to avoid shock.
• Add bone meal to any bulb plants, such as day lillies, cannas, irises, hostas, etc.
• Fertilize shrubs with a general 6-6-6 fertilizer.

Cutting Back Perennials

*Ornamental grasses such as Pampas, Blue Fescue, Sea Oats, etc can be all cut down in the same way. Using shears, cut back the perennial grass clump to a height of 4 inches above ground.

*Day lilies and irises that have dried leaves, can be removed with gentle tug at the base. If the brown dried leaves don't pull off easily, scissors can be used to trim the leaves. Do not pull the leaves off with any force; this may dislodge the bulb.

*Shrubs and roses should have the dead wood removed just below the damaged area. When pruning the dead wood, cut at an angle just below last year's growth.