In the Trees

Tasks:

• Complete compost application to the Japanese Maples and other plants.
• Plant up the roadside garden containers with edibles toward the end of the month.
• Plant up the deck and garden containers with shade loving annuals once the Spring flowering bulbs and plants have finished blooming.
• Deadhead the rhododendrons once blooms are completed.
• Remove green slime, pine sap, and pollen dust from the deck and lower house siding.
• Lightly shear the azaleas once blooming finishes.
• Drag out the deck furniture from storage and “christen” it with the first garden margarita of the season.
• Keep pulling weeds (sigh).

Notes:

I like to spread a few inches of compost under my Japanese Maples and other drought sensitive plants in preparation for the inevitable drought in July/August/September. The compost helps retain moisture and protect the roots from hot temperatures. Some years, I get the compost blown in on all the beds in the garden; it’s such a luxury to have the job done in 3 hours or less. Other years, it’s the shovel and wheelbarrow and select plants/beds only.

Once the Spring annuals and bulbs in containers around the garden and deck have finished their show, I like to replace them with Summer flowering annuals such as Impatients, Coleus, and Ipomea. I remove half the soil from the containers, mix it with some fresh potting soil/compost, and then add it back in. This loosens and freshens any compacted soil in the containers and makes planting fragile annuals a breeze. Regular fertilizing of the containers with an organic liquid fertilizer ensures plenty of color until the first frost, which could be as late as November.

The sunny roadside garden is in it’s second year and still very much a big experiment. Containers are the only way to go as they can retain the water that I hand carry out to them. Last year, I placed large black plastic trays under each container to catch runoff. The trays originally held sandwiches brought to my office by Quiznos. They’re still in great condition and will be used again this Summer.

And finally, my favorite task of the month (not!), is cleaning up the large deck at the back of the house. It’s a messy job whichever way you do it, and there’s no point even starting until the tree canopy above releases it’s pollen. The “big pollen drop” usually happens over a 24-hour period in the 3rd week of May.  You wake up one morning and the deck and BBQ cover is totally covered in a light green powder. A light pressure washing with a steady hand and some care removes just the gunk, leaving the wood intact. Imbibing the first garden Marguerita of the season while pressure washing is not recommended!