Garden Corner

Are You Ready for Spring?
1. Carefully inspect your property, checking trees and shrubs for winter damage. Prune out dead and damaged branches. For major tree damage, be wise and call in an expert. They can remove large and high limbs with the least effect on trees' aesthetics.
2. Remove perennial foliage before new growth appears. Tidy up annual, perennial and mixed beds.
3. When spring sun warms the soil, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and all the small spring-blooming bulbs begin their parade of color. When the flowers have gone by, you can cut back the flower stems but be sure to leave the foliage. It must ripen naturally if you are to have bloom next spring. (Don’t braid or knot the foliage that slows the process.)
4. Check garden tools to see if they are clean and serviceable. Use a cloth sprayed with WD-40 to lightly coat the blades of pruners and trowels and deter rust.
5. Cut back any perennials leftover from fall. Liriope or Monkey Grass is a common perennial that stays green in winter, but then displays brown leaf damage in spring. You can cut this back to the ground, and it will produce fresh new foliage for the season.
6. Apply pre-emergent weed control to beds. It is not too early for this as weeds can sprout when soil temperatures reach 50 degrees.
7. General purpose fertilizer is best applied when plants are actively growing. However, a phosphorus based fertilizer which encourages root system development can be very effective at this time.
For those of you who want to enjoy your landscape and let a professional handle the details, we are now offering landscape maintenance services. We have a basic program that includes 3 visits per year, and a more comprehensive program with 10 visits per year. To find out how we can help you recognize the potential of your property and increase its value, call our experienced and qualified personnel at 205.655.5942.

Making the Most of Mulch
Mulch can do wonders for improving the overall health & appearance of your landscape. Mulch conserves moisture by protecting the soil from drying out & has been shown to reduce moisture loss by as much as 20% during the summer heat. Mulch also helps control erosion & reduces competition between landscape plantings & grass for water & nutrients. By keeping the soil around your plantings cool, moist & shaded, mulch also helps control the growth of weeds & undesirable grasses which grow better in hot dry weather conditions. Mulch can also keep roots cool, helping to prevent root growth from slowing down as temperatures rise.