WAKE UP YOUR LANDSCAPE FOR SPRING!
Image credit: Mike Franqui
It might technically still be considered winter but things are starting to come alive in the garden! March kicks off the start of spring for us in Northeast Florida, which means it is the perfect time to start laying the groundwork for your spring landscape. Here are some tasks to tackle now to give your garden a head start so you can enjoy a beautiful landscape all season long.
to-do list for a thriving landscape:
1. Pruning TIPS:
March is a great time to take advantage of the mild weather and get some pruning done in your garden! Pruning, when done mindfully, can help maintain plant forms, encourage fuller growth, and removes dead or damaged plant material. Over pruning can cause issues so remember that whenever you prune a plant, it will need to heal from its wounds and energy will be diverted. This can lead to less blooms and fruit. These problems are further exacerbated if you prune a plant while it is setting buds for flowers or currently flowering. For example wait until your azaleas and camellias are done blooming before you cut them back.
Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind while tackling this chore.
Dormant trees & shrubs: Pruning dormant shrubs during this time of year is a perfect way to encourage new healthy growth in the spring and to avoid harmful pruning cuts in the warmer growing season. Focus on removing dead, crossing or damaged branches. Do not remove more than ⅓ of the total plant canopy at one time.
Fruit trees: Many fruit trees flower and produce fruit on new wood or need sufficient light and air circulation to produce a good harvest. Pruning before the plants begin to fruit will encourage your fruit tree to bloom more and produce more fruit later in the season. For more information on pruning deciduous fruit trees in Florida, head over to this article on the IFAS Gardening Solutions website.
Begin cutting back your meadow forbs and grasses. Remember to keep them in the garden! Keeping this debris provides a mulch for the garden, provides food for wildlife and ensure that your plants reseed.
For a comprehensive look at planning and pruning for wildlife in your garden, take a look at our past blog post for helpful tips and tricks when starting your spring clean up!
2. Invasive PLANT removal:
This is an optimal opportunity to focus on removing invasives from the landscape as plants are just beginning to wake up. For woody invasive plants such as camphor, you can perform a “hack and squirt” application to slow its growth and reproduction. The Florida Museum of Natural History has a great article on best practices for invasive plant removal in Florida.
Image courtesy of the Florida Museum of Natural History
To learn more about invasive plants and what you should be looking our for, check out our blog post about what actually makes a plant invasive and includes a handy list of the top 12 most invasive plants in Florida to keep in your back pocket when mapping out your plan of attack!
3. Tidy up YOUR GARDEN:
Remove excess debris and old plant material from the landscape. Keep what you can in the garden beds and compost the rest. Many conservation experts encourage gardeners to bypass their urge to bag their yard waste and to “Leave the Leaves” to support pollinators. Leaving organic ground litter (leaves, stalks, stems, etc.) in place adds useful nutrients for plant health as it decomposes, protects from cold weather, helps retain moisture during dry seasons, suppresses weeds, and provides nesting materials for a wide variety of invertebrates.
Image courtesy of healthyyards.org
Weed Control: It is easiest to control weeds before they even appear. This is the ideal time to make sure you target aggressive weed species to prevent them from reseeding and to apply pre-emergent herbicide in areas where it is needed such as lawns or other perennial beds where monoculture is desired.
Dead hedge: If you are finding that you have a collection of larger debris that is difficult to compost and just too large to keep in the garden beds, try to find an area to incorporate a “dead hedge”. These dead hedges are collection of logs, branches, leaves, etc that are stacked vertically and loosely cross linked to create a low hedge like feature. These hedges are highly valuable to wildlife for the shelter it provides and the insects that it will harbor. For more information about dead hedges, check out this link from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
3. Prepare Your Soil & FERTILIZE AS NEEDED:
Begin adding compost and compost tea to your garden beds. This will increase beneficial microbes and nutrient availability in your garden. Check out our recent post on the soil food web in your landscape to learn more and get a recipe to make your own compost tea!
Add a fresh layer of mulch to the garden in any areas of exposed soil.
Trees and shrubs can now be fertilized as they wake up from winter dormancy. This includes roses, camellias, azaleas, citrus, and palms. However, the proper product and amount is key. As a general rule, we recommend getting a soil test before fertilization to determine both soil pH and soil nutrients. Never apply lime without first getting a soil test. For fertilizer choices, the amount and type of product will vary depending on your plants with many landscape plants not needing additional nutrition, while others like citrus and palms are heavier feeders. You can check with your local extension office to see if they offer free soil testing in your area.
4. Plan and Prepare for Spring Planting:
The UF/IFAS Extension Office provides helpful monthly planting guides on their website!
Seed Starting: Start seeds indoors for vegetables and flowers that need a longer growing season. This will give them a head start before transplanting them outdoors in the spring.
Plan Your Garden Design. Planning makes perfect! Before you start plugging in plants without doing your research, take some time to sit down and think about the goals you want to achieve with your landscaping. Do you want to increase wildlife in your yard? Have a nice outdoor space to entertain? Knowing this ahead of time can save a lot of headache and heartache in the future by avoiding mistakes and having a well thought out approach before beginning. Take a look at our recent blog post about the benefits of having a custom landscape design to learn why this is an important element of a successful landscape!
Being at that cusp between winter and spring, our gardening seasons overlap and this means more opportunities to get outside. After the threat of frost, get your spring vegetables going and enjoy the last of your winter vegetables as well. Also, spring is an awesome time to add to the landscape with new ornamentals. Choose quality plants from a trusted nursery and be sure to plant them with the base of the stem above ground level so they can thrive. The only disadvantage of spring in our area is the potential for drought, so be sure to provide daily watering for the first couple of weeks after planting and then begin to wean the plants off of that as time goes on. Many plants take 6 months or more to establish so be patient.
6. Encourage wildlife in your landscape!:
Planting for wildlife in your Florida landscape is essential for supporting the state’s diverse and fragile ecosystems, providing food, shelter, and breeding habitats for native species. With ongoing habitat loss due to urbanization and climate change, gardens can serve as crucial refuges for pollinators like bees and butterflies, migratory birds, and small mammals. Native plants, such as native milkweeds for monarch butterflies or native firebush for hummingbirds, offer the right nutrients and require less water and maintenance than non-native species. By incorporating a variety of trees, shrubs, and flowering plants, you can create a thriving, self-sustaining environment that promotes biodiversity, enhances soil health, and contributes to the overall balance of Florida’s natural landscape. Thoughtful planting not only benefits wildlife but also fosters a deeper connection to nature and helps restore the delicate relationships between plants, animals, and people.
If you haven’t heard about the Homegrown National Park project, don’t wait any longer!
Find ways to incorporate food sources into your garden, add butterfly host plants to your garden, create shelter and nesting sites, add nectar rich plants to your garden and reduce the use of pesticides and other chemicals. The Homegrown National Park website is an amazing resource for materials to find about all of the many ways you can do your part to build habitat and support sustainable growth, together we can make a difference!
Want to learn more valuable gardening tips and tricks to enhance your outdoor spaces? We invite you to check out our past blog posts, subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on social media platforms for the latest updates and insights. Would you prefer to fast track your vision for the garden of your dreams? Reach out to us at Wacca Pilatka to start planning!
