Spring has begun, and so have those early season gardening chores that come along with it.

If you wrapped or tied cedars, rhododendrons, and any other tender trees and shrubs, these should now be unwrapped.

Warm temperatures and poor air circulation can cause a fungus which will harm the plant, so untie and unwrap all those protected trees and shrubs.

Perennials that were given the extra mulch last fall should have the mulch taken away now. This is also a good time of year to do any dividing of perennials. It can be done as soon as you can get a shovel in the ground. This is also true for any tree or shrub that you may want to transplant. The best time to dig up a plant and move it is when it is still dormant which should alleviate any stress to the plant, thus giving it a better chance for survival.

Water is an important factor in any plants survival and plants and bulbs that are planted near a cement foundation or under an eave may not receive a lot of moisture from melting snow or rain. These should be hand watered so get out the hose and give them a good, thorough water. Spring is a time to prune many of the deciduous trees and shrubs. They should be pruned before they break out into leaf and before the sap is running.

Trees that are not pruned now because the sap is running are Maple, Birch and Walnut trees. To prune them now, could seriously set them back as they would loose a great deal of sap. These are pruned when the sap is not running in mid-August or January.

Trees do not always need to be pruned every year. They are pruned to keep plants healthy, strong, maintain a nice uniform shape and aid in the high production of fruit and flowers. If you are not sure how to prune or whether to prune it is best to read up on it or get an experts opinion. A lot of damage can occur to a tree/shrub that is pruned incorrectly.

Early blooming flowering shrubs such as Lilacs, Forsythia, Purple leaf sand Cherry and the Double Flowering Cherry are pruned after they have finished blooming. This is because they have set this years flowers last summer and so if you were to prune them now you would be removing many of the flowers. All the other flowering shrubs are pruned now. You want to prune out the old flowers and shear them into a nice uniform shape.

After you have pruned your deciduous trees and shrubs spray them with Lime Sulfur and Dormant Oil. This spray is a combination of a fungicide and an insecticide which should eliminate many of the over wintering fungus and insects. By doing it now you will help prevent many of the problems that could arise over the summer, and it is much easier to spray the tree now before it is in full leaf and before the problem becomes a large problem.

Art Knapp Plantland is holding its annual Tree Pruning Clinic to be held on Friday April 6, and Saturday April 7. Both clinics will be held at 10:00 a.m. at the Highway 16 West location on Kimball Road, Prince George.

-Jos

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

• Highway 97 north  at Northwood PulpMill Road and Aberdeen
• Highway 16 West  across fro the Bon Voyage Plaza