Simply Saratoga MARCH 2012_Layout 1 3/15/12 2:59 PM Page 65
however, do regular pruning of shrubs which bloom in the spring, like forsythia. You will lose all the flowers for this season. Wait until they are done blooming and then give them a snip.
DON’T:
prune your roses until the forsythia is in bloom. Pruning roses always stimulates them to grow, and that tender new growth is very sensitive to cold snaps. Start too early and you may lose a lot of flowers. Forsythia only seems to bloom when the danger of a severe frost has passed and is a good marker for when to get the roses in shape.
DON’T:
visit your local greenhouses and nurseries to see what’s new. I always start making the rounds of my favorites as soon as I see they are stocking up for the season. Not to buy, but to plan my designs. Take a notebook along and note new varieties you want to try and where you might use them. Compare prices so you get the most bloom for your buck.
DO:
start slowly and build up your physical endurance. If you’re like me, winter is best appreciated as a spectator sport, preferably from a comfy couch, wrapped in a quilt with a good book and a mug of tea. Over the course of the season, my muscles turn to goo. Once the sun comes out in the spring, though, my mind thinks I’m Wonder Woman. I sprint for the garage, load a wheelbarrow (the big one, of course) with shovels and rakes and implements of gardening destruction and launch myself at the nearest bed in need of grooming.
DO:
Last year, I combined bed grooming with mulching over the course of a long weekend and ended up walking like Quasimodo for six weeks with a back injury. Six weeks of prime gardening time. The moral of the story? Go easy on yourself and have patience. A few hours of work a day is plenty at the start of the season before your muscles regain their strength.
Lastly, DO enjoy the season! saratogatodaynewspaper.com
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