Tasks
- Check drip systems, sprinklers, and other irrigation systems for repair needs.
- Flush irrigation lines and inspect sprinkler valves for proper operation.
- Protect transplants from cutworms by putting a barrier, such as a paper collar, around the stem.
Pruning
- Deadhead winter annuals to prolong bloom.
- For bulbs, deadhead spent blooms only. Leave foliage and stalk to wither naturally to provide nutrients for next year's flowers.
Fertilizing
- Fertilize stone fruit, pear, apple, and nut trees and berries with one third of the needed annual amount of fertilizer.
- Fertilize citrus when trees begin to bloom.
Planting
- Plant Easter lilies in full sun in outdoor beds after blossoms fade. They will bloom next May or early June.
- Annuals: alstromeria, Kangaroo paw (antigozanthos), and petunia, plant from seed.
- Bulbs, corms, tubers: fairy lily (Zephyranthes).
- Fruits and vegetables: beets, chard, spinach, and turnips from seed.
- Perennials: coral bells(Heuchera), maiden grass (Miscanthus), fountain grass (Pennisetum), sage (Salvia), pincushion flower (Scabiosa).
- Trees, shrubs, vines: clematis, dogwood (Cornus), rockrose (Cistus), hop bush (Dodonaea viscosa), cotoneaster.
Enjoy now
- Annuals and perennials: candytuft, iris, lobelia, forget-me-not (Myosotis), poppy.
- Bulbs, corms, tubers: ranunculus, tulip.
- Trees, shrubs, vines: orange, rhaphiolepis, rhododendron, lilac (Syringa vulgaris).
- Fruits and vegetables: potatoes, radish, rutabaga, spinach, strawberry, turnip.
Things to ponder
- Give new plants ample water until root system is established.
- Bermudagrass will begin to green up as the soil temperature rises.