Good morning! I hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine, warmth and buzz of the bumbles – they are everywhere this spring. I also hope this lovely weather holds today so you can celebrate Dad. The one who coached all those sports teams, drove everyone around and took you fishing or skiing at some horribly early hour of the morning. The one who was always there to pick up the pieces when things didn’t go quite as planned. The man who grounded you and showed you the difference between right and wrong, the camper, the lawn-mower and the lover of books.

In keeping with “let’s give the guy a break,” here’s a list of gentle reminders for spring garden chores most of which, if not all, can be accomplished by the ladies of the garden.

* The lilacs have just gone by so now is the time to prune and fertilize them. You want to prune as soon as possible because once they are done blooming, they begin forming next year’s blossoms. If your plants are young, the only pruning needed is perhaps some suckers that have come up or some limbs in the middle that are crossing over and rubbing other limbs. If the plants are bigger and well-established, you should try to prune the oldest canes by two-thirds, the middle-agers by one-third. And if you did not cut the flowers, cut all spent blooms. You can use a regular garden fertilizer or buy special lilac fertilizer. The only place where I have found special lilac fertilizer is McLaughlin Garden in South Paris.

* This has been a terrific year for rhododendrons. They are everywhere and blazing with color. As soon as the blooms are spent, do any pruning you want. Rhodies usually require no pruning, except for shape. If your rhodie lives in part shade, the branches will be reaching for the sun and they can get a little “leggy.” By cutting the branches back, you will get fuller foliage. They are also forming next year’s blooms now, so do the pruning soon. Both rhodies and azaleas like acid and Mir-Acid works great for them. It is a specialty fertilizer made by Miracle Gro. Remember, they have a very shallow root system, so do NOT try to dig the fertilizer into the soil. Scratch it in gently with your hand. Because of their shallow roots, they tend to dry out in summer’s heat, so give them a couple inches of compost for mulch and spread it out as far as the drip line of the bush, keeping it back at least 2 inches from the trunk.

* I just took a little break to move some sprinklers around and was reminded of another little nugget of gardening advice for novice gardeners. In the heat of summer, it is always best to water early in the morning before it gets hot. However, schedules often don’t allow for that so the evening is OK as long as you aren’t watering roses or garden phlox. Both plants will develop nasty stuff if left overnight with wet foliage. When you water, wetting the ground is not the thing to do. Plants need deep watering in hot weather and that can only be accomplished with lots of water. Now, I know everyone says you shouldn’t water gardens overhead and you should have in-ground watering systems or use soaker hoses. Well, I also know that not everyone can afford or wants irrigation systems nor do Maine landscapes always accommodate them. So for the sake of argument, let’s just go with regular old sprinklers. Make sure they arch over the flowers and not through them and let them go until you get about ½ to 1 inch on the garden. This is easy to gauge. Set a rain gauge somewhere in the sprinkler’s path and time when you turn it on. When the gauge reaches the mark, that’s about how long it takes. Plant roots go to the water. If you water lightly, only the very top of the soil has moisture and you end up with shallow-rooted plants. This can lead to winter kill. If you water deeply, the roots will grow deeper and be stronger.

* Your dahlia bed needs to be watered sparingly but deeply and about 1 inch of water per week. Roses, clematis and hydrangeas are thirsty and deep drinkers.

*Speaking of clematis and hydrangeas, now is the time to feed them if you haven’t already. They both like slow-release rose food, which is why clematis makes such a good pairing with rosebushes.

*The lupines have arrived and if this year is anything like the last two, the aphids will not be far behind. For whatever reason, those nasties have been devastating people’s lupines for the last two summers. Keep watch from the day the blooms pop and look for little round grayish-to-brownish creatures. They are about half the size of a pencil eraser and usually come in large groups on the stems. When the plant is not in direct sunlight, spray the entire plant with Murphy’s Oil Soap. Let it stand for about 30 minutes and wash it down with a hose. Aphids move from one plant to the next, so check them all. If you are not diligent, they will get ahead of you and then usually all you can do is cut back the plant. Ladybugs eat aphids and I saw containers of them at the Paris Farmer’s Union if your yard doesn’t have them already.

* The daisies are in bloom and, bless their little hearts, they just keep expanding. When the blooms are done, it’s time to divide them. Cut them way back, dig up the entire clump and cut the clump in half or quarters, depending on the size. Use a straight-edged shovel or very large butcher knife. Then immediately replant the new clumps and keep them watered well for about two weeks. You should get more daisies for September.

* Don’t forget to fertilize all those pretty pots you have planted. They need it at least every two weeks, even if you used soil with built-in fertilizer. I use Neptune’s Harvest and my plants seem to love it. Don’t forget to keep your herbs trimmed and don’t let them bloom if you want to keep harvesting throughout the summer.

* If you are looking for a great shade plant that will light up a corner, try a Japanese Painted Fern. They are really pretty.

So until next time, have a great day with Dad and let him know how much you appreciate him. Keep up with the weeds and be gentle with the bumbles, hummers and flutterbys by not using toxic sprays and chemicals in your gardens.

Happy gardening.

Jody Goodwin has been gardening for more than 25 years. She lives in Turner with her husband, Ike, her dog and two cats. She may be reached by writing to her in care of the Sun Journal, 104 Park St., Lewiston, Maine, 04243-4400 or by e-mail at jodyike@megalink.net.

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