Last week I planted my tomatoes, and this week I added tomato cages to support them. It is always easier to put supports in place while our plants are small.
The time to prune any flowering shrubs is right after the bloom. Give yourself about two weeks to do that or be willing to sacrifice some blooms. Being a lazy gardener requires choices!
The average last spring frost in our region is around May 20, but you would do best to keep your own records at your own property. Low-lying properties will often have a spring frost when higher elevations do not because dew and colder air settle to lower elevations.
The hyacinth grown in a controlled setting and planted away from traffic has had a much easier road than the hyacinth rescued from compost and nursed back to health. I will call the rescued hyacinth a win for this Lazy Berkshire Gardener because they aren’t dead yet!
On a dry morning (if we get a dry morning), peek at what you have growing. The recent rains should have helped your gardens get a good start, unless they have been flooded out.
If you are lucky enough to have plants in a cold frame, remember to vent it on sunny days. We had temperatures in the low 20s a week ago and 60s four days later. Sun will fry plants under glass unless you allow a cool breeze to get through.
As we think about lawns, we should question their purpose—are they going to be heavily trafficked, are they simply an open space that we want to look across, or do they serve an additional purpose, such as helping to absorb rainwater or to feed pollinators? And most importantly, how much energy do we want to spend on maintaining them?
While last weekend did not bring a deluge of rain, it was cold and windy at my house. I chose to do some concentrated weeding because 1) the beds needed it, 2) the beds were in the sunshine, and 3) the house blocked the wind.
If you have too much lawn, or your attempts to grow grass in an area always fail, maybe you should grow something else there. Creating an island of shrubs with perennial groundcovers or just an island for annuals with a few perennials to anchor it might be the perfect solution.
Virginia bluebells and hellebores are the Punxsutawney Phil of plants. Their emergence reminds me that spring is on its way. I find comfort in these signs of spring, but also fret about the winter tasks still left undone