Gardening expertise pays off in beauty and bounty. GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO


While you can plant shrubs and trees in the fall, your selection is best in the spring.


can better withstand the wind and the weather. While you can plant shrubs and trees


in the fall, your selection is best in the spring. If you are doing it yourself, bring in pictures or measurements and we can help guide you. We help people right on the spot. Q: Can pruning be done in spring? A: In the spring, you prune things


that bloom in the summer. In late sum- mer, you prune things that bloom in the spring. Azalea, forsythia and lilac set bud in the fall. If you trim in late fall, you will trim off all the blossoms and they won’t bloom in the spring. Q: How do you prepare flower and


garden beds? A: For flower beds, you want to clean


up all the weeds and debris and prepare for new flowers to be planted. In the garden, put compost in and till it, be- cause you want the ground to be softer for starting new plants and seeds. Q: Should perennial flowers be di-


vided now? A: You can divide in spring and fall,


but spring is the better time. Perennials are designed to do their own thing. There are perennials that are very inva- sive, so if you want the area covered, leave them alone. Some flower beds left alone do much better, because they are doing what you want it to do. If it is get- ting too crowded, you can divide. A lot of perennials are coming back from seed, so if you clean up the flower bed, you are taking away some of the starts. It depends on what flower bed you have. Q: What is the most important fac-


tor to consider when planting? A: Sunlight. You can add things to


the soil but you can’t change the direc- tion of the sun. If a plant needs a lot of


6 ❚ MARCH/APRIL 2019 ❚ LIVING WELL


sun, it needs to be on the south or west side. If it can’t tolerate heat, it may tol- erate the morning sun on the north or east side. For example, azaleas are planted facing east, so they receive sun in the morning, and hydrangeas can be planted facing north or east. Q: Can bulbs be planted in spring? A: In the spring, you plant bulbs that


bloom in the summer, such as peony, dahlia and elephant ears. Spring-flow- ering bulbs like daffodil, hyacinth and tulip must be planted in the fall, be- cause they need to go through the win- ter. A bulb needs to grow roots before it starts flowering. Q: What are some good choices for


low-maintenance plantings? A: There are so many. For an annual,


vinca or periwinkle is an easy plant that doesn’t take a lot of maintenance. For a perennial, marigolds tolerate heat well. If you want low-maintenance, you don’t want to get something that’s really in- vasive or spreads fast, because that be- comes maintenance. As for watering, plants get used to


the way you teach them. If you water them every day, they need water every day. But you can’t give up on them. The ground is much too dry and there are too many rocks. Q: How do you plan blooms from


spring to fall? A: You have to plant accordingly. You


can mix shrubbery and perennials, like lilac in the spring, and crepe myrtle and coneflower in the summer. Perennials take care of themselves


but have a certain bloom time. Annuals bloom all summer long but


then are gone. If you mix annuals and perennials, you get more blooms. If you like it, plant it, as long as it’s in the right area. Everybody likes different things.


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