February/ Early March To-Do List

With all the snow we have been getting my thoughts go to planning.  This is the best time to start thinking about how you want your landscape to look in the spring.  What do you want, a new patio, walkway, plants?  Do you want to renovate an existing landscape, or a vegetable garden.  Now the time to be planning this, don’t wait until it gets warm, because we, and other good landscapes, are planning our work now for the early spring.   A good landscsape requires time to plan.

SO THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT NOW, CALL US, AND WE’LL HELP YOU PLAN IN ORDER TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR LANDSCAPE INVESTMENT.

October To-Do List

October is the month to start planting spring bulbs. Soil preparation is critical, as bulbs need good drainage.  We recommend you double dig the holes and add compost if you have it or mix in peat moss.  the depth and spacing depends on the variety you are planting.  Also, add bone meal and work it into the soil with the peat moss.  Planting yours bulbs and water.
Also,while we normally mulch in the spring, due to the lack of rain this summer, keep watering your trees and large shrubs and have at least 3 inches of mulch around your plants.  The will help reduce the additional stress from the winter.
Finally, you still have time to repair your lawn but get it done by the October 16th.

General Landscaping Question?….ask our staff

If you have a general landscaping, gardening, or plant material question, feel free to ask us!  We will try to answer as many questions as possible.  Thank you.

September To-Do List

*Fall is the best time of the year for most shrubs and trees to be planted.
*September is the very best time of the year to repair or establish a new lawn.  So if you have a lawn that is stressed out or brown, now is the time to re-seed it, and add fertilizer and lime.

*While it’s a great time to fertilize the lawn, this is not the right time of year to fertilize shrubs and trees.   Pruning is also something to avoid right now.  Pruning and fertilizing shrubs and trees now will not allow the plant to harden off for the winter.
*Dig up, divide, and replant your over grown perennials.  The exceptions are plants that are flowering now, such as, Sedum, Liriope, Mums and Asters (those should be done in the spring)
*Start moving any house plants inside that you currently have outside.  The cold air can damage or kill houseplants that are not suited for our zone 6-7 climate.  Make sure to inspect them for insects before bringing in potential infestations for your other indoor plants.

Critical Update…..Water, Water, Water

The most important thing you can do now is to: WATER YOUR PLANTS TO PREPARE THEM FOR WINTER.  We are in a severe drought and plants need to store sugars and other nutrients in their roots some they can survive the winter and bloom next spring.  Water is a critical component to allow the plants to store these nutrients.

In this season of transition, all your plants need to get adequate water until the ground freezes.  This is especially important this year because we have gone through one of the hottest, driest summers on record.  All your plants should be watered thoroughly including more mature plantings. Allow the water to run very slowly at the base of each plant for about 30 minutes.  This slow stream will allow the water to soak slowly and deeply into the soil.

To test the moisture in the soil, stick a shovel into the soil.  If the shovel comes out of the ground and has evidence of moisture, measure the depth and this will give you an idea of how long it takes to water your plants.  Perennials need at least 6 inches of moist soil and shrubs and trees need 12 inches.

Welcome to the Brushill Nursery Blog Page!

Welcome to Brushill Nursery’s Blog Page.  Our Blog page was created to help our customers with the care and maintenance of their landscape, a monthly landscape to do list, organic gardening ideas, and to keep them informed of sales going on at our nursery.  If you send us a general landscaping question, we will try to answer it.  Thanks for being part of our Blog and we look forward to seeing you at our nursery.