Raspberries grow wonderfully in the Pacific Northwest and are a joy to have in your garden. Proper pruning at the correct time of the year will result in better production of raspberries and vine berries the next year.
Whenever I ask a group of Pacific Northwest gardeners what accomplishment they use to evaluate their success as gardeners, they inevitably say “the ability to grow one ripe, red tomato.” So, here are a few growing hints that I would like to share with you, so you can have success in growing more than one …
Fertilizing, dormant spraying, pruning and starting seeds head the list of February projects. Weather permitting, this can be a great month to get your spring and summer gardening underway. PERENNIAL VEGETABLES – Rhubarb, horseradish, asparagus and artichokes are among the perennial vegetables that can be planted this month. Plant them along the perimeters of the vegetable …
One of the best gardening months of the entire year is January. This is an ideal month to plant fruit, flowering and shade trees, dormant spray, prune and eliminate weeds. This is also a great time to sharpen and repair mowers, trimmers, shredders, chain saws and other garden implements. WINTER PLANT PROTECTION – If you still …
December is a good month to put the final finishing touches to the year’s garden. Watering, dormant spraying, winter protection of tender plants and planting head the list of December garden projects.
As fall approaches it is time to give some thought to getting the garden ready for the fall and winter months just ahead. As the cooler weather sets in, it will be an ideal time to begin getting plants ready for the winter, to plant spring bulbs, cultivate and harvest fruits and vegetables.
Time to start thinking about the summer garden. If one wants to enjoy color during the summer, spring is the time to plant out summer flowering annuals, bulbs, perennials and shrubs. This is also the month to begin getting the lawn in shape for the summer. In fact, what you accomplish this month will greatly cut back on garden maintenance the rest of this spring and summer.
March in the Pacific Northwest means it is time to prune roses. If you want large flowers with long stems and attractive rose bushes, now is the time to get out your pruning shears. Rose pruning is really quite simple. You will need a pair of gloves to protect your hands from the thorns and …
Winter is the time to think about pruning many plants in the garden. However, never prune for the sake of pruning, prune only the plants that need pruning. Roses are a good example of plants that need pruning, as do raspberries, clematis and sometimes hydrangeas, lilacs and others.