Whenever you go out to garden, take a few seconds to spray all your clothing – not just below the knees, but on shirts and elsewhere – to deter ticks that want to jump on anything warm-blooded for their next meal. Use sprays that specify use of EPA-registered tick repellent ingredients. These include DEET, oil of lemon eucalyptus, and PMD.
May is the month to fertilize your perennials. They’re entering their growth cycle for their late spring and summer displays, and the fertilizer ‘boost’ will ensure a long and colorful display as you add the nutrients to bolster both root and flower production. But remember: when applying fertilizer, less is best.
Those hostas and other perennials that are just emerging for their new season are taste treats for deer, rabbits, and other herbivores. Your best bet to protect your investment in those plants is to make them taste terrible. There are several commercially available preparations (Bobbex and Liquid Fence are two examples) that consist of putrefied eggs, mint oil, garlic, and other ingredients that deer and rabbits find noxious. These preparations are applied using a home sprayer. A spraying of all new foliage is best when no rain is in the immediate forecast. For an hour or two, your yard will smell terrible. Once the sprays dry, humans no longer detect them but deer and rabbits avoid treated plants for up to a month.
After spring bulbs pass their bloom, deadhead spent flowers and then allow foliage to yellow and ‘ripen’ before being removed. It’s important because the foliage is responsible for passing the nutrients down into the bulb that will allow it to produce a new flower next year. Hide the foliage by growing perennials and annuals around it. When the foliage turns brown, cut it at ground level, secure in the knowledge that your favorite spring bulbs will return in 2023.
Beardless (Japanese or Siberian) irises need to be divided regularly. As they grow, the center of the plant weakens or dies. Dig out the clump, cut out 4-to 6-inch segments from the outer ring and discard the center. Plant your renewed irises in soil that has been improved with compost or other organic matter, making certain to keep them at the same depth as they were before.
