Pruning Clinics Today and Sunday

By Jos Van Hage

The warming temperatures are quickly melting the snow and although we are a couple of weeks behind schedule I think that spring is finally here.

Many of the spring flowering bulbs are up and some of the earlier varieties such as crocus, and snowdrops are already blooming.

Now that spring is here, gardeners can get their garden tools out of the shed and start working outside. Perennials can be cleaned up by removing last year’s foliage and removing any extra mulch you may have covered them with last fall. This is also a good time of year to divide and/or transplant most perennials.

It is also the best time of year to move and transplant a tree or shrub that has to be moved as it is best to do this when the plant is still dormant. If you haven’t already done so you should unwrap and uncover any of your trees and shrubs before the temperatures become too warm.

This is also the time of year to prune most of your deciduous trees and shrubs. Do not prune birch, maple, walnut trees, and early blooming shrubs such as Lilac, Forsythia, purple leaf and double flowering cherry. The early blooming shrubs are pruned after they have finished blooming and the birch, maple and walnut are pruned in mid-August when the sap is not running.

This weekend we are holding our 30^th annual pruning clinic at the Hwy. 16 West location of Art Knapp plantland.

On Saturday April 18 it will be at 10:00 a.m. and on Sunday April 19 it will be at 1:00 p.m.

If you have any pruning questions or want to learn how to prune I suggest you attend the pruning clinic as this will give you the needed knowledge to go out and prune your own trees. After you have pruned your trees and shrubs you should spray them with ‘Lime Sulfur and Dormant oil’ spray. This combination spray will kill many of the over wintering fungus and insects that could later weaken your trees and shrubs. It is a very good preventive measure in keeping your trees and shrubs healthy.

Now is also a good time to get a head start on planting any of your summer blooming bulbs such as dahlia, gladiolus, and the packaged perennials. Start them indoors and then later transplant them outdoors. This is also the time to start planting up your flowering hanging baskets if you have a place to put them indoors. If you do not have an indoor place you will have to wait until risk of frost has passed. What you could do is plant them up around the beginning of May and then place them in a protected area of the yard and cover them with Reemay cloth at night so that they do not freeze.

Starting seeds indoors is also something that can be done now. Many vegetables are very easy to start indoors and then can be transplanted outdoors towards the end of May. Vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, lettuce, cabbage, squash, and corn can be started now for that extra head start. This is also a good time to pick out your garden seeds so that you will have them on hand when you are ready to plant your garden. The selection is good right now and all the varieties are still in stock so you won’t be disappointed, which could happen if you wait too long.

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns and operates two Art Knapp Garden Centres in the Prince George area:

• Highway 97 north at Northwood Pulpmill Road
• Highway 16  West at Kimball road

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