5:04:28 PM

The Online Magazine FOR and ABOUT Southside Virginia

5/18/2012

Southside Gardener

This month's To Do List for the Gardener

 Contributed By William H. McCaleb

 Master Gardener Coordinator
 Virginia Cooperative Extension

"No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth"
~Thomas Jefferson

To-do list & Tips for late April and early May

 Flowers

 • Deadhead spring blooming bulbs, but let the foliage grow until it yellows

 • Deadhead and begin replacing pansies and primroses as the blossoms fade

 • Give everything a good feeding, to get things growing

 • Divide crowded perennials and share

 • Make sure tall perennials are staked, especially emerging gladiolas

 Vegetables

 • Keep the perennial vegetables and berries weeded

 • Move rosemary plants outdoors, if they don't live there year round

 Houseplants

 • Repot houseplants in new soil for good rejuvenation

 Trees & Shrubs

 • Check out the azaleas in bloom for future purchases.

 • Plant or transplant trees and shrubs before the heat of summer.

 Landscape

 • Clean bird feeders

 • Turn the compost

 Pests

 • Keep a watch out for asparagus beetles, aphids, cabbage worms, cutworms, scale, slugs & snails and any signs of fungal diseases (leaf spot, mildew, rust...)

 • Rip out invasive species of plants while the soil is damp and before they spread even further.

“Exercise for free – Grow A Garden This Year”

   If you have questions about your landscape plants, you can also call the Extension Office and ask to speak to a Master Gardener or the Horticulture Technician.

_____________________

William H. McCaleb
Program Assistant, ANR
Master Gardener Coordinator
Virginia Cooperative Extension
171 S. Main Street
P.O. Box 757
Halifax, VA 24558-0757
434-476-2147
fax: 434-476-7777
http://www.ext.vt.edu