Spring has sprung!

Yes……………….that 75 degree Friday in February was crazy and a teaser but now we are off to the races. Forsythia and bulbs are in full bloom. Star Magnolias are finished…………as are vernal witchhazels and cherry dogwoods. Now we can look forward to the parade of color that is spring! Of course we’ll get a few more cold, nasty days. I’ve seen 14” of snow in April before. Last year we had a hard frost on May 15, our typical last frost date. I cringe when I hear the weather guys on the TV talking about “don’t plant yet”. It’s not rocket surgery folks. The only thing you don’t want to plant before May 15 are the things that can’t take a frost. I’m talking about annuals and tender vegetables.
There are cool season veggies like cabbage and flowers like pansies that love this cool weather. Trees and shrubs should be planted NOW! The whole reason we say that spring is the best time to plant is because the weather is cool and moist so you usually don’t have to water. Get new plantings done early to take advantage of the natural rains. I’ve always said, ‘you can plant a tree anytime you can dig a hole’. The only time we don’t plant trees and shrubs is when the ground is frozen.

Have you noticed all those “pretty” white flowering trees along the freeways in the vacant lots? Those are invasive callery pears being seeded by the birds from people’s yards. Callery Pears are one of the most commonly requested trees because of their flowers, glossy leaves and dense upright growth habit. But they are also spreading like wildfire as an invasive weed, just like honeysuckle. It’s too late to stop the spreading of these invasives. They are already here and will always be. But I still don’t like planting them because they have poor structure and split down the middle just when they get nice and big. We’ve got lots of better choices in small interesting trees.

Enjoy the color season!

By the way……………if you are a waiting on us to complete a job for you this spring…………bless you for your patience. We are having our busiest year ever and keeping up as fast as we can. Trust me………..we’ll make it worth your wait.