Get Your Garden Ready for Spring

The warm weather makes one want to get outside, but remember that there is still the possibility of frost in March; so hold off on planting tender plants. The stores are full of gardening supplies and it’s a good time to stock up in preparation for spring. Being an avid gardener myself, I’d like to give you a list of some of my favorite tips and tools to help you prepare.

What to Buy

Tools: Trowels are great for containers. Be sure to get one with a pointed end to really cut into the soil and roots. For planting small plants in the ground, I prefer a handpick as opposed to a trowel because its easier on the wrists. Invest in a quality pair of clippers, and a steel forged straight neck pony shovel.

I thought about lists of plants, but soon realized that’s an impossible task. If a tree, shrub or flower suits your needs, performs well and behaves, then use it. If I were to advise, I’d say to provide bones in the garden with evergreens. Palms are reliable. Some of my favorites include: Phoenix canariensis, European fan palm, needle palm, and silver foliaged palms like Butia (known as pindo), Phoenix sylvestris (commonly called silver date palm; hardy to 20 degrees), and silver saw palmetto, native to Florida. Other Florida natives include Sable or cabbage palm and my all time favorite, mass plantings of Coontie.

Make use of ornamental grasses, especially evergreen varieties such as crown grass, which reveals a bluish cast. Or use soft and billowy bamboo muhly, or graceful lomandra, known as breeze grass. Then finish up with small grasses like carex or dwarf mondo. For containers, try the incredible fiber optic grass.

Use specimens for a focal point. I like giant crinum, cardoon, angels trumpet, tree fern or the many varieties of aloes and agaves. Add accents with thyrallis, anything from the mallow family, including my favorite, abutilon. I also like bright edge yucca and rose creek abelia, and dracaenas such as spike and cordyline. I’m sure I could go on….

Best Advice

Showcase plants with unusual form and texture. Plant peaceful drifts of white flowers. Mix dark blue, light blue and white plumbago. Use bold glazed containers with simple plantings.

Propagate

For quick divisions, use a handsaw or shovel. For cuttings, use a root stimulator that contains IBA (indole-3-butyric acid). Seeds are inexpensive; buy or collect them often and sow seasonally.

Edibles

Nothing quite compares to the joy of eating from your own yard. My favorites include meiwa kumquat, blueberries and strawberries, various salad greens, tomatoes, peppers and herbs… yum!

Fertilizer / Pesticides

Organic fertilizers in both liquid and granular. Natural herbicides like burnout. Biological pesticides such as diatomaceous earth, pyrethrin, and thuricide. Biological fungicides like neem and Zerotol.

For Fun

Incorporate sounds with water, or by encouraging birds with feeders. Enjoy the outdoors. Breathe deeply; oxygen equals energy.

Photo Gallery


Phoenix Canariensis	European Fan Palm	Needle Palm	Pindo Palm


Phoenix Sylvestris	Silver Saw Palmetto	Sable (Cabbage) Palm	Coontie


Crown Grass	Bamboo Muhly	Lomandra	Carex


Dwarf Mondo	Fiber Optic Grass	Giant Crinum	Cardoon


Angels Trumpet	Tree Fern	Aloe Vera	Agave


Thyrallis	Abutilon	Bridge Edge Yucca	Rose Creek Abelia


Dracaena Spike	Red Cordyline