Roses, like every other plant in the garden, are here to reproduce. Once any plant flowers, its next purpose is to set seed. If we cut the flower head off before it goes to seed, which is what we do when we prune a rose, the plant will produce another flower in an effort to propagate. Prune roses and cut back flowering perennial after the blooms fade on a regular basis throughout the growing season and you will keep flowers coming and vases filled all summer long.
As spring bulbs finish flowering, remove their faded blooms. Cut the flowering stems at an angle all the way to the ground. By deadheading the flower before the plant has time to set seed, the plant’s energy goes into storing nutrients in the bulb itself for next year’s flower season. Do not remove the bulb’s foliage when you cut off the flowers. The growing cycle for bulbs does not end until the leaves turn yellow and die.
Pruning is just one of the chores to consider with the onset of spring.
Vernal equinox signals change
The vernal equinox occurs when the sun’s path intersects the equator. On that day, the sun crosses directly over the Earth’s equator and every place on earth has nearly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. In the Northern Hemisphere, the vernal equinox fell on March 20 this year and signaled the start of spring. As we welcome spring, people south of the equator are gearing up for cooler autumnal temperatures.
This brief but monumental moment owes its significance to the 23.4 degree tilt of the Earth’s axis. Because of this tilt, we receive the sun’s rays most directly in the summer. In the winter, when we are tilted away from the sun, the rays pass through the atmosphere at a greater slant, bringing lower temperatures. If the Earth rotated on an axis perpendicular to the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the sun, there would be no variation in day lengths or temperatures throughout the year. This tilt gives us our four seasons.
Modern astronomy aside, people have recognized the vernal equinox for thousands of years. There is no shortage of rituals and traditions surrounding the coming of spring. Many early people celebrated for the basic reason that their food supplies would soon be restored. The date is significant in Christianity because Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. It is no coincidence that early Egyptians built the Great Sphinx so that it faces directly toward the rising Sun on the day of the vernal equinox.
Frost-hardy crops
Despite the arrival of milder weather, it can be a real gamble to sow vegetables outdoors this early in the season. If cold weather returns, the seeds are likely to rot before they germinate. Some vegetables run to seed if subjected to cold conditions after germinating. Experienced vegetable gardeners begin by starting seeds of vegetables in a green house or cold frame. When plants are growing well and the danger of frost has diminished, transplant them out in the garden.
If you want to get your outdoor garden started soon, put your efforts into frost-hardy crops such as fava beans and early peas. Peas and beans germinate readily in warm soil, but are less reliable in early spring when the soil temperature fluctuates. I cannot resist giving a few vegetables a shot at early planting on a year like this one. If the mild season holds, I could be well ahead of the game.
I am always willing to experiment with a few of my favorite vegetables. There are usually enough seeds in each packet for multiple plantings, especially for a family-sized vegetable plot. Think of it as planting in succession. Hold enough seed in reserve so that you will be prepared to resow later in the season for another crop or if the first batch does not grow well.
You can plant onion sets in the garden now. Onion sets are nothing more than packages of very small onion bulbs that you will find at most nurseries and garden centers. In prepared garden soil, run a line for a straight row. Dig a small trench along the line.
This trench is called a drill and should be only deep enough so that the onion set can rest under the soil line with its tip still protruding above soil level. Use the edge of a hoe or rake to make the drill. After setting the onions, pull the soil back over the drill, leaving the tips showing. Plant shallots in the same manner. Bon appétit.
Robb Rosser is a WSU-certified Master Gardener. Reach him at Write2Robb@aol.com.
