It appears that our winter weather was short lived and once again we are heading into an early Spring. Now is the time to do that spring cleaning in your yard, cut back the ugly, winter damaged foliage off any Hibiscus, Bougainvillas, Bananas, Philodendron, Hostas, Gingers and any other borderline (Zones 9-10) tropical type plants that managed to overwinter. Also go ahead and cut back any of the liriopes, jasmines, Mexican Heather as desired. They will pop right back out if cut during March to early April.

Azaleas are always hot on everyone's mind in the peak of Spring. For most types of Azaleas, cut them back after all the blooms are spent and fertilize them a month apart for three months (typically April, May& June) with an Azalea food. Be careful not to cut back or fertilize too late in the season as your next years blooms are forming on the new budwood.

Spring is of course when everyone gets pumped about planting flowers and there are many exciting varieties of annuals to choose from in the Spring as opposed to Fall/Winter. Be careful not to plant full sun varieties in shady areas and vice-versa. Most annuals require partial to full sun. Impatients are the old standby for shady areas and there is a whole palate of colors to choose from. Some varieties of Coleus and Caladiums are also shade tolerant. Strap leaved varieties of Caladiums however require full sun.

Most people have St. Augustine lawns. A good way to increase health and vigor is to lower your mower height ½ inch about the end of February for one or two cuttings to semi-scalp your turf. This will encourage tillering of the stolons and thicken your grass. Go ahead and fertilize with a higher Nitrogen fertilizer and then raise your mowing height back up to your normal level. For St. Augustine, this is typically 3"- 31/2".

Not everyone has a big yard. Spring is a great time to find all kinds of plants and flowers for container gardening for those of you who might only have a patio to work with. Take a trip to a couple of garden centers to get ideas. Good luck.



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