Spring garden preparations

There’s a lot of advice online about spring garden preparations. One rule of thought is to do nothing until temperatures are consistently over 55 or to wait until after the last spring freeze–around April 20 in Oklahoma.

Well, in Oklahoma, spring weather temperatures are rarely consistent, and I cannot wait to do my spring garden prep until after our last freeze date. I’ll already be behind the eight ball as it were.

I live in a prairie climate that is all over the place, especially in spring. Plus, our winters aren’t what they used to be. It feels more like North Texas most of the time.

I see the memes out there about insects and spring, but instead of following others, I watch my garden to see when to start. I say go ahead and start now.

You don’t have to clear away all debris including all of the leaves to start working in the garden. Do a little at a time. Enjoy the sunshine. Get that vitamin D.

Being outside is good for your physical and mental health. So is the glory of spring garden prep. Remember, microbes in the soil make us happier.

My advice for spring garden preparations?

Work on any day over 50, wear sunscreen on cloudy and sunny days, and wear permethrin clothing or clothing sprayed with permethrin to avoid tick bites and tick-borne diseases like Alpha-Gal Syndrome, Lyme, or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Here’s an Instagram reel where I talked about the clothing and Alpha-Gal. It is worth watching.

Don’t get influenced into doing what someone in a completely different environment tells you to do. I am in favor of cutting back dead material and layering it around established perennials as mulch. It helps protect the plants, and you don’t have the brush in the garbage or large piles around your property.

Part of garden spring prep is pruning your roses and other shrubs.

It’s okay to start pruning your roses. Pruning roses is like parenting teenagers so you’re forwarned. You can also prune other shrubs. I cut back my roses of Sharon and purple smoke trees in half. I know, I’m daring like that.

However, check first to ensure you’re not pruning a hydrangea or other shrub that flowers on old wood. How? Google your specific cultivar for more information. For instance, I’m not worried about H. arborescens ‘Annabelle’ because she flowers on new wood. Every few years, I prune and remove all of the old wood to refresh her. It’s kind of like an anti-aging facial. ‘Annabelle’ is one of my favorite hydrangeas for Oklahoma’s finicky climate.

So, do a little spiffing up. You don’t have to do it all. You can lay some mulch too. I like to use arborists’ chips or bags of landscaper mix from Lowe’s. I think TLC carries it too. I know the company calls it soil or compost, but it’s just small wood chips.

A new podcast episode.

Check out our latest garden podcast episode. Carol Michel and I drop an episode each week.

Garden coaching is still available.

If you need some help in the garden, please contact me about garden coaching. I’m getting busy so you might want to quickly get on my schedule.

One more thing, I noticed several cottonwood trees leafing out yesterday. They’re native so we may be getting an early spring. Always watch your native trees for signs. Don’t get your garden advice from online memes. Gardening is too subtle and complicated for that.

See you soon!