Summer is Here!

We certainly get all the weather here in Ohio. I just heard that May was the warmest on record. I’ve got to think that April was the coldest and wettest on record. Somehow, we managed to get a lot of work done in that lousy April. May felt like summer and I was getting calls asking me if it’s “too late to plant”! Now it’s June 6 and it’s a cool, rainy “April like” day. The Swedes have a saying……………” there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad choices of clothing” ……………. 🙂 At Hickory Lane Farms we just take the weather as it comes and deal with it. Today we’ll get a break. I’ll get some office work done, but we’ll also get another day behind on our schedule. It’s very likely that when you read this it will be in the 90s again and dry. The trouble is…………. we need all the weather. We just like it in small doses spaced out over time.

Is it too late to plant? Of course not. You can plant any time you can dig a hole in the ground. Of course, we prefer spring and fall because it’s typically cool and moist. One caveat to my saying, “you can plant anytime” is that, you can’t necessarily transplant any time. Trees and shrubs need to be moved in the dormant season. If they are dug while in leaf they will likely just wilt and die. Perennials, on the other hand welcome being divided and moved just about any time of year. Trees might require a good soaking once a week, but that’s not too difficult to do. With newly seeded lawns you might need to set up a sprinkler and run it for about 15-20 minutes twice a day. But given that and the right type of seed, you can have new grass in a week! April is normally a great time to sow grass seed but not this year. It was too cold. Now the ground is warm, and you need only provide the moisture.

We are still getting calls for everything from lawns and trees to cleanups. And that’s a good thing as we are a year ‘round business and couldn’t possibly do every one’s projects in the 4-6 weeks of spring that we had this year. So, let me take this opportunity to thank you, our wonderful clients, for your patience and continued business!