News / Clark County News

Garden Life: Now is time to start whacking those weeds

By Robb Rosser

Published: February 26, 2015, 12:00am

Robb Rosser Demonstrations at the Yard, Garden and Patio Show feature ideas and inspiration for every style of Northwest garden.

If you want to win the war against weeds, begin now. The advice I hear most often in the name of weed control is to start removing weeds as soon as they appear in the garden. Unfortunately, weeding is not our highest personal priority in early spring. Our thoughts are focused on emerging bulbs and perennials. We are in the mood to add new plants to the garden, not to grub around for old weeds.

Sometimes the art of gardening comes down to cold, hard facts. Getting weeds out of the garden at the start of the season when they are most vulnerable will make your life easier in the long run. The longer you put off pulling weeds the more time you will spend playing catch-up to stay on top of weed production. The most important thing you can do now is to prevent more seeds from developing.

Weeding now keeps annual weeds from forming seed heads and it keeps perennial weeds from developing deeper roots. Annual weeds are little seed-making factories. If you have ever been shot in the eye while weeding nutsedge from the summer garden you know exactly what I mean. Get them out now before they have time to develop viable seeds and increase your workload for years to come.

Perennial weeds do not produce as many seeds, so to ensure their own survival they develop extensive underground root systems. Some of them send a tap root down into the earth while others fan out above or just under the soil surface in an intricate, spider web network of roots. Catch them young and they are easy to remove. Once established they can be difficult if not impossible to eliminate from your garden.

The best time to weed is shortly after a rain, which gives us one more reason to get to work now, well before our annual summer drought. I have friends who insist that hand-pulling is the quickest and best way to get weeds out of the garden. They even claim to enjoy the process. Whatever method you use, be sure you remove the entire weed, roots and all.

If you are thinking of adding any fruit, flowering or shade trees to the garden, this is the time of year to plant them. Most garden outlets receive their new selection of deciduous, bare root trees during the last weeks of winter and often as early as the first week of February. Because the trees are dormant, they transplant with a minimum amount of set-back. This is the time of year when you will find the best selection of bare root roses.

If you are selecting fruit trees, be sure to ask a certified nursery person which varieties are recommended for your area, so you get the one that will produce the very best-quality fruit. You can call the WSU Clark County Master Gardeners office (360-397 6060 ext. 5711) for the most up-to-date information on fruit trees recommended for disease resistance and fruit quality in your specific climate area. Taking the time to make the right choice before planting will pay off years from now when you are reaping the benefits of a healthy, productive fruit tree.

The Yard, Garden and Patio Show begins Friday and I am overjoyed by the prospect. The show runs from Friday through Sunday. In past years, this event was typically a reprieve from winter weather. This year, unseasonably warm temperatures have convinced us that spring has sprung early. I, for one, am ready to revel in all things gardening.

The Yard, Garden and Patio Show has long been recognized as the unofficial launch of spring in the Vancouver and Portland area. It features the latest ideas in new plant material, landscaping and related outdoor accessories. A series of showcase gardens provides visitors with ideas on how they can enhance their own personal landscapes.

This is our premier consumer gardening and landscaping event. It includes free seminars and demonstrations for every level of enthusiast. These speaking events feature local, national and international experts and celebrities in gardening and landscaping. Seminar topics include garden design, vegetable gardening, floral arranging, sustainable practices and plant selection.

My favorite exhibit is the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon’s “Plants for Winter Interest” display. Plants from members’ gardens are on display to show exactly what can be in bloom in your garden at this time of year. Please join me in supporting this premiere garden event and be sure to give me a shout-out if our garden paths should cross. For more info on the show, see www.ygpshow.com.

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