Twigs from my garden

The calendar says it’s officially spring and, unofficially, so does my yard. Snowdrops and crocus are blooming in the myrtle along the driveway and walk. Daffodils and the foliage of other spring-flowering bulbs, which have slept throughout the winter snows, are beginning to emerge from the ground in the flowerbeds, and the forsythia bushes have set their buds. Just yesterday, I noticed a “big box” store already parading deciduous trees and evergreens for sale outside its closed nursery doors, and the gardening catalogs are quickly arriving in my mailbox.As I write this column, I can hear my husband and his buddies in the next room eagerly planning their bass club’s Icebreaker Tournament at Indian Lake next month. Brrrrr! Earlier today, just to confuse me, I noticed a few snowflakes falling — while the sun was shining! Oh, well, there are many early spring pruning chores to keep a restless, and warmly garbed, gardener busy until the weather is more spring-like. Here is a sample of plants to prune now.• Ornamental grasses should be cut close to the ground. Tie the stems with twine or wrap with duct tape to make clean up and moving to the compost easier.• Semi-woody perennials (such as butterfly bush and Russian sage) can be cut to about four inches to allow for strong new growth and produce the best flowers.• Broad-leaved evergreens like boxwood can be pruned to cut out any stems with winter-damaged foliage, but wait until later to shear or hedge them so new growth can cover the pruned tips quickly.• Roses should be pruned just before spring growth begins in April when the forsythia begins blooming. (Heirloom roses and some climbers that produce blooms on the previous year’s wood are exceptions; they should be pruned after blooming.) The canes of hybrid tea, grandiflora and floribunda can be pruned to a height from 12 to 24 inches. Old, shrub and species roses should be pruned lightly, removing no more than one-third of the growth. Miniature roses need only minimal pruning.Remove any dead or diseased branches. Prune out branches growing toward the center of the plant to open it up for better air circulation and allow sunlight in. Also, remove the weakest branch of any crossing branches. To create a stronger plant with more blooms, prune out light, twiggy sucker growth from the plant’s base. Sucker growth is from the rootstock and is a different rose variety; if not removed, it can crowd out the variety of rose you initially planted.• Vines. If you have a variety of clematis that blooms on “new wood” (for example, Jackmanii), the vines can be cut back to two strong sets of buds on the stems and as close to the ground as possible. Pruning this summer- into fall-blooming variety “hard” in late winter to very early spring will produce blooms from the bottom to the top of the vine. Unpruned, the vines will grow out of control within a few years, creating a bare stem at the bottom with flowers only at the top. Hint: Clematis may be faster and easier to prune by twisting and holding (as though making a ponytail).Since grapevines form buds on “old wood” (the previous year’s growth), they should be pruned each spring while they are still dormant and before any green shoots appear.• Summer-flowering trees and shrubs (including hydrangea) can be pruned to remove damaged or crowded stems and to shape and reduce the size since their flower buds develop on new growth. Note: Don’t prune spring-flowering trees and bushes until after they have bloomed.Event• Lima Garden Club will hold its annual spring luncheon at 11:30 a.m. April 13 at Milano Café, 2380 Elida Road, Lima. Member Louise Daniels will present a program on her recent trip to Kenya. Two members will be honored by the club for Best Gardener and Best Garden Club Member of the Year. For a reservation or additional information, contact Jean Cinardo at 419-224-4560. Lima Garden Club meetings are always open to anyone interested in gardening and new members are welcome.Master Gardener Tip of the WeekJust like outside plants that begin growing in spring, many houseplants will soon begin their growing season, too. Begin fertilizing with a diluted liquid fertilizer at the beginning of April. Fertilize a second time the beginning of May, and once more the beginning of June. Stop fertilizing after that unless the houseplant is a blooming plant that needs constant feeding (such as African violet or orchid).