With all the snow we have received, many customers are wondering what to do about their trees and shrubs. Most of the branches that are hanging down with snow will rebound when the weather warms up. However, if there are any broken or severely damaged branches we recommend that you prune them.

Any herbaceous perennials will have died back to the ground and will return in the spring. When the snow melts remove the dead leaves and branches and wait for them to re-grow.

• Clean up your pots and containers
• Deadhead pansies and remove winter flowering annuals
• Clean up your garden beds to get rid of dead material that insects feed on and hide under
• Start watching for slugs as they will begin to emerge this month (if they haven't already)
• Divide your fall flowering perennials
• Prune B and C type clematis to encourage new growth
• Start geranium and fuchsia cuttings from over-wintered plants
• Start your begonia tubers
  • The days are getting longer and warmer (hopefully) so it must be time to pull those tubers out of storage and plant them in a nice sunny window. If you don't have any yet they are easy to grow and keep from year to year. We have everything you need to get them started.

Many flowers can also be started from seed indoors and transplanted outdoors later in the season when the weather warms up. You can start plants like Geraniums or Sweet Peas indoors now to transplant outdoors in March/April.

• Fertilize your trees and shrubs

Now is the time that your trees and shrubs will begin to grow. This means that it is time to fertilize your trees and shrubs. We have granular fertilizers as well as fertilizer spikes to feed your plants. These fertilizers break down slowly over the season to continuously feed your plants. It is best to fertilize all evergreen trees, shrubs, and hedges to encourage spring growth. It is best to fertilize Rhododendrons twice, once before they start flowering, and again after they have finished.

• Prune your trees and shrubs

Pruning can be done at this time of year to thin out trees or shrubs that have become too dense or simply to cut back those that have grown too big. Be careful not to prune any trees or shrubs that bloom in the early spring, such as Forsythia, as you may accidentally prune the flower buds. Early spring flowering shrubs should be pruned after they have finished blooming.

• Start your herbs, vegetables, and fruit trees

Now is an ideal time to start many herbs and vegetables indoors so that they are ready to transplant outside later. You can start herbs like basil and parsley from seed indoors now. Two weeks before planting dig over your vegetable beds mixing in manure, compost, and lime to add nutrients and balance the Ph.
Now is also a good time to plant fruit trees like apples, pears, peaches, and plums.

Start planning for summer by seeing which plants have survived the winter and which may need to be replaced.
The best selection of water plants will not start arriving until later in the spring.