Garden almanac

Closer Look at your Trees and Lawn

With these temperatures bouncing all over the place, it’s a good time to take a closer look at your trees and lawn.

Close-up photo of pine needles heavily infested with white pine needle scale insects, giving the needles a frosted or grayish appearance.

One thing to watch for on evergreens is pine needle scale. They show up as hard little bumps on the needles and can lead to needle dieback. Don’t rush to treat them, just yet, wait until they reach the crawler stage in May. That’s the best time to apply something like insecticidal soap or an oil treatment such as Neem oil.

A close-up of a tree branch infected with Black Knot Disease, showing a dark, rough, swollen fungal growth against a blurred background of branches and greenery.

This time of year, it also makes it easy to spot black knot fungus on plums and chokecherries. You’ll see it as an elongated, black, rough growth toward the tips of branches. The best thing you can do is prune it out—cut at least 6 inches below the affected area to make sure you remove all of the infection and avoid spreading it further.

A medium-sized spruce tree with many brown, dried needles, indicating possible winter injury or disease, stands in a grassy yard with a wooden fence and other green trees in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

A lot of folks are noticing winterkill on evergreens, especially on the south side of the plant. This is really common with foundation plantings along the south side of the house. Between the dry winter and sun exposure, those plants just didn’t have enough moisture when they needed it. If you can carefully prune out the dead areas without leaving the plant too thin, go ahead and do so. Otherwise, it may be time to consider replacing it.

Dandelions are shaping up to be a bigger issue than usual this year. Some are already getting close to blooming, while others haven’t even popped up yet. When the timing is right, a Weed & Feed product can help. It’s important to apply it before those yellow flowers show up. Timing really is everything with dandelion control.

A patch of tall green brome grass with slender, drooping seed heads growing in a dense cluster on a gravelly and grassy roadside area.

In the lawn, those bright green clumps that seem to jump out ahead of everything else are most likely smooth brome grass. It’s a perennial and can spread if left alone. So your best bet is to dig it out or spot-treat it with a grass-specific herbicide.

A close-up of a green plant leaf infested with numerous small black insects, likely plant pests such as fungus gnats, clustered mainly along the edges and veins of the leaf.

If you’re seeing those tiny flying gnats inside your home as we warm up, don’t worry, they’re more annoying than harmful. They won’t damage your plants. Let your houseplants dry out a bit more between waterings, and that should help keep them under control.

If your garden soil has dried out enough that you can actually work it without it sticking to everything, it’s go-time. This is a great time to get in there and do your tilling, so the soil is ready for planting.

You can also start putting in some of those early, cool-season crops. Things like radishes, spinach, and onion sets do just fine in these cooler temperatures, so there’s no need to wait. Getting them in now gives you a nice head start on the growing season.

Garden almanac

In the Garden this Week

In the garden this week, it looks like the trees and shrubs are coming to life with their swollen buds. The spring bulbs are coming up, and the ticks are coming out.

Now’s the time to get your lawn and garden off to a strong start for the season. Go ahead and put down your lawn fertilizer, but hold off on the weed-and-feed products or any pre-emergent treatments, it’s just a little too early for those yet.

If you’ve got some thin or dead patches, give those areas a good raking and toss down some grass seed. A fescue mix works especially well in dry spots and can help fill things in nicely. And don’t be too quick to judge clover popping up in your yard, it’s actually doing you a favor by adding nitrogen to the soil and staying green even during the hot summer months.

A small pennycress weed blooming with white flowers
PENNYCRESS
A henbit annual weed with its purple flowers
HENBIT

You may also be noticing a few weeds already making their appearance. Pennycress (also known as stinkweed) and henbit, with its small purple flowers, are common this time of year. These are winter annuals, meaning they got their start last fall and are now gearing up to flower. The best thing you can do right now is pull them or mow them down before they go to seed. If they tend to take over your lawn, plan on applying a fall pre-emergent later in the year to keep them in check. Treat now with a broad-spectrum herbicide when it’s little. When they are larger, herbicides are less effective.

Creeping Charlie weed with its purple flowers
Creeping Charlie

Another one to watch for is creeping Charlie, a perennial with purple blooms, you’ll likely need to spot-treat that one with an herbicide.

An apple branch with its emerging pink blossoms
Tight Bud Stage in Apples

If fruit trees are part of your yard, and if you have had issues like apple scab or rust in the past. An all-purpose orchard spray can help, and timing matters, the first application should go on when the blossoms begin to show color but haven’t opened yet. Be sure to follow label directions carefully.

Young cabbage transplants moved to larger containers
Cabbage Transplants in Larger Pots

For those getting the gardening itch indoors. Now’s a great time to start most flower and vegetable plants from seed. As the tiny plants germinate and grow, transplant each to a larger container. Just hold off on vine crops like cucumbers until the end of April. They prefer a little more warmth to really get going.

You can prune dead or damaged branches from trees and shrubs now. But for spring-flowering shrubs (like lilacs), wait until after they bloom, or you’ll cut off this year’s flowers.

Garden hacks

Starting Garden Seeds Indoors

Starting garden seeds indoors is a great way to get a jump on the growing season, especially when it’s still cold outside. It’s also one of the most satisfying parts of gardening. There’s something special about watching those first tiny green sprouts push through the soil, knowing you grew them from scratch. Starting indoors gives your plants extra time to grow strong so they’re ready to thrive once it warms up.

The seed packet will tell you how many weeks to start before transplanting outside. I use May 10 as the last frost date, but you know that can change depending on the year.

The first thing you’ll need is a container and some seed starting mix. You don’t need anything fancy; seed trays, small pots, or even clean yogurt cups work fine as long as they have drainage holes. Fill the containers with seed starting mix, which is lighter than regular soil and helps roots grow easily. Lightly moisten the soil before planting so it feels damp, not soaking wet.

A close-up, eye-level shot shows a black plastic seed starter tray covered by a clear, ribbed plastic humidity dome. Inside the tray, dark potting soil is visible with several small, thin green sprouts just beginning to emerge.

Next, plant your seeds following the depth instructions on the packet. Bigger seeds go a little deeper, while tiny seeds can just be pressed gently into the surface. After planting, water carefully so you don’t disturb them. Some people like to cover the containers with plastic wrap or a clear lid to help keep moisture in, and that can speed up germination. I use a plastic heat mat to promote germination.

A close-up view of a seed-starting tray under a grow light, containing multiple small compartments filled with soil and young seedlings. Each compartment has a white plant label with handwritten names such as "Pepper Tequila," "Arugula," "Strawberry," "Bee Balm," "Yummy Basil," "Dill," and "Stock." The seedlings are at various stages of growth, with some just sprouting and others having small green leaves.

Once the seedlings pop up, they’ll need plenty of light. A bright window can work, but grow lights help prevent seedlings from getting tall and weak. Keep the light close to the plants and check the soil regularly. Seedlings don’t like to dry out, but they also don’t want to sit in soggy soil, so aim for evenly moist.

As my plants grow, they may need to be moved into larger containers, so their roots have room to expand. This is called transplanting, and it helps keep them healthy and grow strong. It’s a simple step that makes a big difference later. Transplant before they get too big and their roots intertwine.

Starting seeds indoors doesn’t require expensive equipment, just a little time, attention, and patience. It’s a great way to connect with the growing season early, and by the time spring arrives, you’ll already have strong, healthy plants ready for your garden.