There’s an old saying that if March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb. Of course, that may depend on where you live but, in many areas, there is a good deal of truth to this adage. For much of the country, the chill of winter is finally fading, and we are beginning to see the first signs of spring.  We here at Plant ID Cards are excited to begin our spring gardening and want to help you get started too!  A little early-season care can set the stage for healthy plants throughout the year. Here are some of the tasks we are busy working on:

1.Clean Up Flower Beds

Winter can leave flower beds looking messy with dead leaves, broken stems, and debris. Start by raking out any accumulated plant matter to allow fresh air and sunlight to reach the soil. Remove any weeds that may have started to sprout, giving your plants a healthy, competition-free space to grow.

2. Divide the Perennials

Spring is the perfect time to divide perennials that have grown too large or started to crowd their space. Plants like hostas, daylilies, and irises benefit from division, promoting healthier growth and more abundant blooms. Carefully dig around the root ball, separate the plant into sections, and replant in new spots or share with friends and neighbors.

3. Add Mulch

A fresh layer of mulch helps to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature as the season changes. Apply a 2-3 inch layer around plants and trees, taking care to keep it away from the base of stems and trunks to prevent rot. Organic mulches like shredded bark, straw, or compost enrich the soil as they break down over time.

4. Prune Trees and Shrubs

Early spring is the ideal time to prune many trees and shrubs before they fully leaf out. Remove dead or damaged branches to encourage healthy new growth. Be mindful of flowering shrubs—prune spring bloomers like lilacs and forsythia after they flower, while summer bloomers like roses and hydrangeas can be pruned now for optimal shape and blooms.

5. Plant Vegetables

Spring is an excellent time to start planting cool-season vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, carrots, peas, and radishes. Prepare your garden beds by loosening the soil, adding compost, and ensuring proper drainage. For a head start, consider sowing seeds indoors and transplanting them once the weather stabilizes. As the season progresses, you can gradually introduce warm-season crops like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers.

6. Clean Bird Feeders

And last, but not least, don’t forget the birds! Spring brings returning birds, and keeping your bird feeders clean ensures they have a healthy feeding environment. Old seed and moldy residue can spread disease, so take time to empty, wash, and thoroughly dry feeders before refilling them. A mild solution of soap and water or a diluted vinegar rinse works well for cleaning. Providing fresh food and water will encourage birds to visit your garden throughout the season.

The Results?

With these essential spring gardening tasks completed, your garden will be well-prepared for a season of beauty and growth. Take the time to nurture your plants now, and you’ll enjoy the rewards all season long!

And don’t forget, if you live in the central Oregon area, we at Woodlawn Landscaping can help you get your garden, and hardscaping ready for any season! Give us a call!

When you look out your window in February and see something that looks like this, its hard to imagine that this is actually the right time of the year to start preparing for your spring garden. First of all, by this point in the calendar, many people across the country have already endured several months of bitter cold and freezing weather. What’s more, for many people there are still several more months of winter weather to come. Many of us are in a “winter mindset” where warm sun, flowers and tomatoes growing on the vine seem like a distant dream.  But the truth is, that there are actually a lot of things you can be doing right now to get ready for your spring planting.

We here at Woodlawn Landscaping are already hard at work preparing for spring and we are excited to help you get started on your own personal gardening journey as well!  First and foremost, it’s important to have a plan in place. To prepare for a spring garden in February, start by planning your garden layout and selecting plants suited to your climate. In order to get this process started, there are two important questions you need to consider. First of all, “What do you want to grow?” There’s no point in going to all the trouble of starting tomato plants from seedlings, transferring them outside, staking, watering, fertilizing, mulching and harvesting the plants if no one in your house really likes tomatoes.  This may seem obvious, but sometimes people get so caught up in what they “think” a garden should have they forget that there is no recipe for an ideal garden.

The other thing to consider is what can you grow?  The answer to this question will be dictated by the space you have for planting, the time you have to dedicate to maintain a garden and the climate you live in. For example, do you currently live in an apartment and plan to grow plants in large pots on your balcony?  Or are you part of a gardening cooperative and have lots of room in which to plant?  Or maybe you are super lucky and have a big yard with virtually unlimited space for creating a large summer garden? Whatever your particular circumstances, you need to first think about your garden space and how you want to leverage what you have. Of course, you will also need to consider how much time you have to dedicate to maintaining a garden.  I have neighbors who plant and nourish a huge, beautiful garden in their backyard each year.  They have sunflowers that reach to the sky and every type of vegetable you can imagine. Every year as I watch across my yard, I confess to feeling pangs of “garden envy”.  But then I remind myself that both husband and wife are retired and that they obviously love to garden. In fact, they are out in their garden for hours each day in the spring and summer months (and even well into the fall), and that is something I simply don’t have the time for right now in my life.

The final thing to consider is climate. Where you live in the U.S. will determine what you should consider planting and when. The entire country is divided into climate zones, and your zone will tell you a lot about what plants and trees will grow well.  But how can you find out what zone you live in?  The United States Department of Agriculture has this nifty site where you can look up your climate zone by zip code. Once you identify your zone, you can use the information to learn more about what grows well in your area.   

Our Plant ID Cards will also help you with this. On the back of each card you will find a lot of practical information about the plant or tree, including the climate zone it grows in. For example, our Yarrow card tells us that this plant will grow in zones 3-9 and will bloom in the spring and the fall.  

So, once you figure out which plants to choose, the next step is to plan out your gardening calendar. When should you start planting ? We can help with that too!    We have some hacks that will help get you on your way that we can share in Part II. . Of course, you can also give us a call if you live in the central Oregon area and would rather have some hands-on help  We are open year round and are happy to help you in any way we can!  Feel free to reach out to us at Woodlawn Landscaping. And stay tuned for more gardening insights.  …….

Much of the country has watched in horror during the last couple of weeks as fire consumed wide swathes of the Los Angeles area. The fires, whether natural or the result of arson, have been hard to get under control due to the dry conditions that act as an accelerant This horrible tragedy is but another example of extreme weather that people all over the U:S are experiencing and it serve as a painful reminder that global warming can have disastrous effects.

For those of us who work every day with plants and trees, we can’t help but
think about these impacts all the time. One question that we often get from our clients at Woodlawn Landscaping is, “Can what I plant in my own yard help to reduce the effects of global warming?” And the short answer is “Yes, it can”. First of all, planting almost any type of plant or tree is one way to combat global warming. This is because plants reduce greenhouse gases by capturing carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, then by storing the carbon in biomass and soil. So, any type of planting is a positive in the fight against global warming. But often people are curious about whether there are specific plants and trees that are better suited to helping reduce greenhouse gases? Again, the answer is yes.

Of course, that’s not to say that shrubs and perennials can’t help in the carbon fight too. Lilac (Syringa) is not only lovely to look at, but is, as it turns out, great at carbon absorption. Another esthetically pleasing choice is the hydrangea (Hydrangea), which is both relatively low maintenance and good at gathering up carbon. Bamboo is yet another example of a plant that is very efficient at carbon collection and storage. In addition, grasses and ground cover are important not to forget. Native prairie grasses such as Gig Bluestem or Switchgrass have deep root systems that can store carbon underground. Even clover is great for storing carbon, and has the added benefit of helping to prevent erosion and runoff.

Overall, trees are the most effective at capturing and storing carbon because of their size, lifespan, and extensive root systems. For example, deciduous trees such as oak (Quercus), maple (Acer) and beech (Fagus) are trees that can lock in a good deal of carbon due to their long lifespans and/or fast-growing character. Evergreens such as pine (Pinus), spruce (Picea) and cedar (Cedrus) are also good choices because they are fast-growing, good in colder climates and grow year-round (all the while absorbing carbon while they grow).
These are but a few examples of ways that landscapers and their clients can help our environment. As a rule, it is always good to remember to choose native species and incorporate a wide variety of plants and trees in your planning process.