Late Winter and Early Spring Collide

Late Winter and Early Spring in Atlanta pose fun and adventure in the garden as well as nature itself. As long as I can remember we have a roller coaster of temperatures, and one can never predict what the next week will bring. We have a rule of thumb for gardeners in Atlanta, ie, never put out your summer flowers and crops before April 15th. 2 years ago was a perfect example of why this rule is important to follow. After a couple nights in the low 20's, most new growth was burned or damaged, leaving plants with little possibility for fruit or flowers.

This past week, we had snow, and this week the snowdrops are in bloom. Its always an adventure in the gardens of Atlanta.

This is a good time prune, but also a good time to fertilize your winter annual pansy and viola's. Both will grow fast over the next few weeks til they become to hot, and fall over in exhaustion.

Many winter flowers are out in full glory now, such as the Helleborus 'lenten rose'. I love this flower for the early blooms. Just cut away the old growth now to allow more energy for the new growth to become full and vibrant.

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