Plants for spring

 

BERGENIA is a very hardy plant in our zone throughout southern Ontario and doesn’t die back like many of the perennials do. It has thick leathery evergreen leaves and creeps along the ground sending large black rhizomes that root as they spread. The baby plants are very easy to dig up and transplant in spring. They like rich sandy soil, in part sunny locations in the garden. Once they are well rooted and established you can leave them to grow on their own. The blooms grow in large clusters, with tiny pink flowers. It forms it’s flowers early in April and goes on through May. The plants are fairly low growing, and only reach to about 6 to 8 inches in size but are well worth planting for their spring color.

Bloodroot is another unusual plant that sends up tiny blooms in early spring, then as the blooms die back to form seed pods the leaves unfurl.

 

 

SOLOMON SEAL is another very hardy easy to grow plant that is great for the back of borders or rock gardens. They do well along foundations or in mostly shady spots. They can reach as high as 24 inches and can have plain leaves or variegated. Tiny white bell flowers hang along the tall stems, starting in May and into June. They thrive and spread by underground root stolons and are very hardy perennials that you can dig and divide when they start to spread.

Primroses add so much color to a spring garden because they are available in solid and bi-colors.

 

DROPWORT is also called meadowsweet and is a native plant that was used for making medicine or eaten raw in salad. The leaves have a wintergreen smell and flavor. This plant has cut leaves that are fern like and 30 inch tall stems with large clusters of flowers in pink and white, starting in May. The underground tubers are hardy and easy to dig for division in spring. They grow in part sun, shade or full sun locations in any type of soil.

LUNGWORT also starts to blooms along with the spring bulbs and lasts until the hot weather in June arrives. Trim off the dead blooms and it will send out new larger spotted leaves for a very long time. It comes with pink, purple or pure white blooms.

LILY of the VALLEY is a spring flower and is poisonous to people and pets. The flowers are white bells and have been used in perfume or hand lotion for centuries. They grow in mostly shady poor to medium soil, reaching 5 or 6 inches tall and spread with underground roots and stolon. The flowers are very fragrant and bloom from May to June. This plant has been used for scenting powders, soaps and perfume for over one hundred years.

 

Spring is time to divide

Spiderwort, Liatris, Bears Breeches, Bergenia, Lily of the Valley

WHEN to DIVIDE?  Decide what to do with some of the overgrown plants by first inspecting each year in late summer or fall. I make note of a few perennial plants in my plant journal of those that are not flowering as well as they should because their roots are over crowded and have been in the same location for four or five years. First thing in spring I tackle those that need to be divided. Plants tell you when they are not happy. Perhaps the roots are a tight tangled mess and they need attention. There may be trouble with insects feeding on the roots. May be the plant has some old black roots from previous years that need to be removed.

It’s time to dig them up and discard the oldest parts of the root ball, keeping the youngest new growth and only replant a small piece to the locations where that plant does well. The rest of the root stock can be given to friends and family or shared with neighbors. Another option is to pot some up for selling. Trim roots and check rhizomes for soft spots or blackened shriveled areas that indicate rot. Cut off dead root stock and discard in garbage; never place this in your compost.

 

Many perennials like Day lily, Spiderwort, Sedum and Lily of the valley that require thinning out every year or so unless you have a very large garden to spread them about. I have experienced a particular variety of Sedum that doubled or tripled in size over one season and needed to be divided each year. That plant was one that required plenty of room. It's best to try to divide them in April or early May as they emerge from the ground before the plants get too big.

Shasta daisy are another plant that can double in size in a few years time so to keep them in check you need to dig up some plants and move, trade, sell or give them away. Perennials in the daisy family are the easiest to grow because they are not too fussy about the soil type or how much water they get. Very hardy and drought tolerant plants are the best ones to plant for easy care gardens. Plants like perennial yellow primrose are also easy to divide and tend to spread in a formed round shaped clump in the garden. Hosta can be done any time in spring or after they are finished blooming. For plants with tall stalks or large leaves, I generally divide them in spring just as they are sending up their new growth.

Liatris, Black Eye Susan, Chives, Hosta, Lavender, and all types of Sedum need little care or watering. Bears breeches, Culverts root, Yucca, Solomon Seal and Baptisia all grow two to four feet tall and add good height to a flowering garden border. Giant iris also can flower for all of May and even into June adding lots of interest with their spiky leaves as well as height and color. Giant iris are available with variegated foliage too. Divide in late summer if the plant blooms in spring. These are easy care plants that can be divided and shared with others. You may even want to trade with other gardeners who have similar plants in other varieties and colors. Locate a garden club, go onto garden blogs or local sites where people list plants for sale. Most gardeners are happy to trade with others who seek new plants.

Note: Do some research to avoid any plants that may be invasive.

This pink Astilbe is another easy plant to divide by root division every 5 or 6 years.

 

How to deter squirrels and other pests

The large family of scented geraniums like this one above are excellent for keeping pests at bay. Many insects are attracted to them, feed on the leaves then die. The pesky Japanese beetles especially don't fair well if they visit and feed on them. Place large pots of these geraniums near plants that the beetles attack. It contains many essential oils that are used mainly for perfumes and scented products such as candles.  Mint and sage also have large amounts of oils in their leaves and stems that can repel pests.
 

If you plan to grow tulips and don’t want them to be dug up by rabbits or squirrels, place a few cloves of garlic in the planting hole along with the bulbs. Large planters and pots can be covered with chicken wire or stones to keep pests from digging. Once the leaves emerge make a spray of fermented garlic to keep pests from your yard. Be sure to renew after it rains or a few times a month. Rabbits don’t eat plants like gourds, tomatoes and peppers. Also use black and cayenne pepper on spring flowering bulbs like crocus and tulips to keep them from eating the blooms. Steep 2 tbsp. pepper in 1 cup water, add oil or vinegar and a few drops of dish soap with the strained mix, then spray on plants. To deter rabbits and squirrels try sprinkling kitty litter around the edge of the garden. They will not cross over this. You can put garlic in jars to ferment, punch holes in the top and place them around the garden. Add 2 or 3 cloves to each jar with 1 cup water. Ferment in sun for a few days first.

 

To keep mice and voles at bay and out of sheds, gather some tansy from road sides to dry and lay in bundles where pests build nests. They hate the smell. Ants: Try sprinkling baby powder in window wells, along foundation cracks and on window ledges to keep ants out. They also hate the smell of peppermint so place pots of herbal plants in pots near doors or in window boxes. To kill large colonies mix equal parts of borax and icing sugar and place close to any hills. They will take it into the nest to eat and it kills them.

Basic spring cleanup

You can get outside to clean up the garden as soon as the day time temperatures are about 15 C or 60 F. Remove any protective covers or collars from plants, clear away piles of leaves first thing after the snow is all melted. This allows moisture and light to the crowns of plants like hardy perennials and rose bushes to warm the earth and help them start new growth. Clear and cut off any old brown stems and leaves; discard them into the trash, do not compost. Take special care with moving large heavy planters that have been stored over winter. Roll round containers with soil and get help with cement pots and bird baths when needed to move them.

Check all trees, shrubs and ground covers for winter damage and remove broken branches or any part of the plant that appears black or rotted.

It’s a good idea to replace the top half of the soil in pots with fresh triple mix each spring. Also spring is the best time to add manure or compost to garden soil. After cleaning up, lay compost onto the surface of the soil. Apply it about two inches deep and let the worms do their thing. Well rotted manure or other organic fertilizer can be used this way too. If you are digging new gardens, add some manure or triple mix in your trenches, then mix well with soil using a garden fork. You can buy this mix or make your own. I often use black soil with peat moss, then add compost or bags of manure. Do this at least 3 or 4 weeks before you want to start planting. Decks, lawn furniture and garden ornaments all need to be washed for use in the spring. Use a bucket of soapy water to scrub, then rinse off with garden hose and let them dry out in the sun. This works for plastic, glass, ceramic pots too. Power washing is for walls, fences and decks. If you have a pond that needs cleaning you might want to start by draining the water to clean all debris before refilling it. Service and clean pumps and plastic tubes before starting them again.