Joel M. Lerner - A few chores to get a jump-start on gardening season A few chores to get a jump-start on gardening season By Joel M. Lerner Friday, March 18, 2011; 7:46 PM If late winter was an indicator, we are headed for a bumper crop of flowers this spring. I saw the first color in Chevy Chase on the forsythia March 8 with buds opening enough to tease with a hint of yellow. On March 6 the temperature was in the mid-40s and it seemed like every winter-flowering jasmine I saw was heavy with more blooms than I've ever seen. The same seemed true for vernal and Chinese witch-hazels. The Oriental hellebores caused me to lift their lower leaves to discover buds and flowers. Be on the lookout for snowdrops (Galanthus) with beautiful drifts of white bell-shaped flowers, scilla, winter aconite, rosemary (in a protected location), violets and pansies. This parade of flowering plants will continue because spring officially begins tomorrow. Here are some suggestions for appropriate spring gardening tasks: Weeding Pull weeds at the first sign of undesirable growth. There are many winter weeds that capitalize on the care you provide for your ornamental plants during the rest of the growing season. These weeds go to flower and drop seed. As you grow your vegetables and flowers from seedlings, arrange them in clearly identifiable rows or mounds. As the weeds begin to grow, they should be obvious because of their random arrangement and pulled. Watch for them; learn their growth habits. Spot-treat with as harmless an herbicide as possible. Some easy-to-pull weeds that can be controlled if pulled while they're young are mustard, sour grass, henbit, ground ivy, English ivy, amur honeysuckle, wild violet and crabgrass. Weeds that germinated in fall and winter, including chickweed, speedwell, henbit, peppergrass, shepherd's purse and yellow rocket, can be pulled by hand or by using a weeding prong. Most will come out easily in moist spring soil. It's the surest way to keep them from going to seed. Spread pre-emergent weed killer to control spring weeds such as crabgrass or control with corn-gluten-based material available at your local garden center. They are safe as long as you follow all labeled instructions. Planting and transplanting Move perennials, shrubs and trees in late winter as soon as the soil is friable and moist and daily high temperatures reach an average of 50 degrees Fahrenheit. They should have a tight root ball. Install plants only if tender young leaf buds have not yet emerged from their dormancy or if healthy trees and shrubs were dug by the nursery before bud break in spring. Install pre-dug plants in late winter before the plant breaks dormancy, and make sure to prepare your garden with a one-to-one mix of compost and native soil. It is too early to plant frost-sensitive plants. Most frost-sensitive annuals that are expected to flower all summer should not be planted until May 1. Some freeze-tolerant plants that you can grow in March and April are pansies, snapdragons, kale, lettuce, spinach, arugula, beans, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. Spring pruning Except for renewal pruning, most tree and shrub pruning is done later in the season. Candidates for pruning now are woody plants that are still dormant and overgrown plants that need to be cut hard before growth begins. Early flowering shrubs such as forsythia can be treated as perennials and cut back hard after flowering. Prune them once a season and let them grow back into full, natural shrubs. If the wood is starting to get dense, flowering quince can be cut back hard after flowering. Azaleas can be pruned if needed as their flowers fade. Cut no more than one-third of the volume of the plant. Lilacs are another plant that responds well to pruning after flowering. Cut woody stems with furrowed bark to the ground to avoid lilac borer. New shrubs will return from the old wood that was cut hard. Cut back perennials that were not cut back last fall before new growth begins. Trim liriope and ornamental grasses that have browned back to four to six inches. Use shears, a string trimmer or mower on the highest setting. Mulching Mulch that consists of organic material adds the greatest value to your soil because it adds organisms that make the mulch into compost. It's not only used to enrich the soil, hold moisture, protect plants from freezing, fix nitrogen, protect against soil erosion and control weeds, but also to make the garden look more ornamental. A thin layer (1 to 1 1/2 inches) of shredded bark mulch will create an even, unified appearance to planting beds. Gravel has become a popular mulch material. It is available in a variety of colors and sizes, depending on where it's from. I like the look of fresh gravel for the first year or two. Then it needs to be freshened again, so don't spread it too thick. You can freshen it by adding about an inch of gravel every three or four years. Fertilizing Fertilize deciduous shade trees only if you did not fertilize them last fall. Use a general-purpose fertilizer that's not too high in nitrogen (in formulations of 5-10-5 or 10-6-4). Be sure it doesn't have weed killer in it. Use five to seven pounds per 100 square feet on the area that's covered by tree branches. Follow instructions on the label. I prefer organic fertilizer with phosphorous derived from rock phosphate. Without rain, you should water the area you fertilized to help dissolve nutrients and get them to the root zone. Compost also adds organic material to the root zone of plants and helps tree roots retain moisture and the ability to hold nutrients. One inch of compost around the root system at the base of a tree is the perfect complement to fertilizer. Don't pile compost against the tree bark. Controlling pests Pathogens are waking up now, and disease-causing organisms that were dormant in winter are emerging. To control insects, spray a dormant-oil insecticide when scale insects are seen crawling. Spraying now will ensure the least negative impact on the environment by reducing the need for more spraying during the growing season. If you don't want to use a petroleum-based product, make your own insecticide by mixing one cup of vegetable oil and two tablespoons of liquid soap (not dishwasher detergent). Slowly add one gallon of water. Use a clean sprayer. To control rabbits, install low, inexpensive plastic or wire fencing around areas where they like to dine. Fences only need to be 18 to 24 inches tall. Most home remedies, including mothballs, dried blood, castor oil and cayenne pepper, have limited success and may need to be re-applied frequently. You can try to protect plants against deer by installing a wall or a chain-link or deer fence. The latter is a rigid black plastic mesh 8 feet tall that is self-supporting and can be snaked around trees or through the woods. Other popular remedies include motion-sensor-activated water sprays, lights and sound devices. Soap and animal-based products such as egg mixtures or hair are other options. You can find these products at local garden centers, home improvement stores, or over the Internet. Another solution to discourage deer is to use plants they don't eat. Some suggestions are most viburnums, magnolia, thorny holly, hellebore, rohdea, foxglove, iris, daffodil and catmint. Call your county or state Cooperative Extension Service or check the National Institute of Food and Agriculture or the University of Maryland's Home and Garden Information Center. Local garden centers might have a list of deer-resistant plants. Complete these tasks over the next few weeks and you'll be getting a head start on the season.