Time to prune ornamental grass
Spring has sprung. I can tell by the increased number of questions coming my way. Here are some of them:
Q: How do I prune my ornamental grass?
A: It's time to cut them back to clean out the dead stuff so new growth can emerge. Clear out the old stuff for that fresh look this spring.
All plants have a downtime sometime through the year, and for ornamental grasses this is that part of their life. Many gardeners pruned them back last fall, and that is not right. They had to look at those stumps all winter long.
Q: My cassias are beautiful. When do I prune them?
A: Prune after they finish blooming, but please don't prune them into lollypops. Thin bushes so light reaches the plant's crown to stimulate new undergrowth. Reach into the bush and remove a branch where it attaches to another branch. Skip the next branch and prune the next until you finish the entire plant. Also, remove a third of the oldest canes coming from the plant's base to thin it even more. Repeat both processes for the rest of the plant's life and the results will be a full bush smothered in blooms.
Q: How can I get grass to grow under shady trees?
A: The best thing to do is thin out the tree so light reaches the ground, and then plant zoysia grass. It tolerates a lot of shade and uses 35 percent less water than fescue grass.
Q: Is it OK to harvest wildflower seeds while looking at the flowers?
A: That is a no-no. You can't take anything but pictures from a park.
Q: How can I level out my uneven lawn?
A: Filter about a half-inch of sand into the low areas of the lawn and let the grass grow through the sand. To avoid smothering the grass, don't add more. Repeat the process until the lawn is level.
Q: Can I still plant tomatoes from seeds?
A: No, the heat factor is working against you, so purchase plants from the nursery.
Q: Why won't my 2-year-old orange tree produce fruit?
A: It takes as long as seven years for citrus trees to come into full production. You want the tree developing structure so it gets big and strong. This will help carry the fruit load at maturity. If your tree produces fruit too soon, it actually hinders its development. But it is all right to leave a few on the tree to whet your appetite.
Q: Why didn't the chemical I used to prevent olives from setting last year work?
A: If the foliage is too thick, the spray can't get to the blossoms. If you applied it too early, the flowers were not open, or maybe you didn't use the right concentration. Spray at least twice, as blossoms open over a period of time.
Q: When can I prune my photinia and India hawthorne?
A: Wait until after they bloom. The same is true for other blooming plants in the garden. To remove the complication of wondering when to prune, do it after bloom.
Q: I just purchased a five-in-one apple and someone told me it was a mistake. Is it?
A: These curious trees have five varieties of apples on the same rootstock. They are not as easy to grow as suggested. One variety eventually will dominate and will require pruning to suppress it. People mistakenly cut off one variety, as it is hard to distinguish one from another. On the positive side, the five-variety apple blooms much longer, and that appeals to gardeners.
SPRINGS PRESERVE PLANT SALE
Are you ready to spruce up your garden with desert native plants and cut back having to water so much? Come to the second annual Springs Preserve plant sale, featuring more than 9,000 vibrant and colorful Mojave native and desert-adapted plants. This gigantic sale takes place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 27 at 333 S. Valley View Blvd.
The preserve collects seeds from Mojave native plants and grows them with the purpose of introducing new native species into our landscapes. The sale has what you need to create a functional garden for traditional and xeric looks. They are functional, water-smart and simply beautiful. Help support your locally grown source of native Mojave plants.
Linn Mills writes a garden column each Sunday. You can reach him at linn.mills@springspreserve.org or call him at 822-7754.
