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Fill your outdoor pots with colorful blooms and foliage to brighten up patio spaces, porches and other entries of your home. Try Cuphea ‘Strybing Sunset’ with Lysimachia ‘Aurea’ (Creeping Jenny) for a part-sun location. Agave americana var. medio-picta ‘Alba’ in a large pot for a sunny location.
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Weed Do as much weeding as you can early in the month. Weeds grow quickly and move into reproductive phase in a flash. If you have limited time, focus on weeds near the base of plants (which rob water and nutrients) and weeds that are in flowering or fruiting stage.
Find out what's happening in San Leandrowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Hunt for slugs and snails or apply slug bait.
Check and repair drip irrigation Make sure to turn on system if you haven’t already, check for mini geysers and change out batteries before you go on vacation.
Roses Spray off soft-bodied aphids with a spray of water or by hand, remove interior and wayward growth to allow for good air circulation and remove any diseased leaves (black spot, rust) on the plant or soil surface.
Shape or prune evergreen shrubs, hedges and vines Bring down height and width of plants if needed, remove dead wood or awkward branches.
Shape or prune Azaleas and Camellias and other late winter/early spring bloomers - after they finish blooming.
Plant summer-flowering plants like agastache, cosmo, marigold, petunia, penstemon, sunflower, yarrow and zinnia. Alstroemeria, cannas and dahlias can be planted now as well.
Fertilize plants Especially citrus, roses, camellias, azaleas. Go to your local nursery like Evergreen Nursery and look for a fertilizer formulated for specific plants.
Mulch around plants Especially in sunny spots to to retain moisture and provide a clean look.
Vegetable and Fruit Garden
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Amend soil in garden beds
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Plant or sow seeds for beans, corn, cucumber, pumpkin, squash
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Plant tomatoes, peppers and eggplant
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Salad can be sown or planted in the shady shelter of larger plants.
Plant herbs like parsley, cilantro, marjoram, oregano, thyme, rosemary
Thin fruit on trees like apples, pears, nectarines once dime-sized to one fruit every four to six inches. Thinning produces larger, better fruit and will prevent branches from breaking from weight of fruits when they are reaching maturity. Branches can also be shortened to a growth point as well.
Mulch around fruit trees to keep moisture in soil.
Read more of Angele's gardening and landscaping tips in the Patch Archives.
