It's a Whole Yard Vibe: Tips for Caring for Bushes and Trees Before Garden Planting Season

The season is well on its way, bringing warm sunny days and snowy cold days as well. Less than a month to go until the general planting season starts and while flower & food garden thoughts are filling our minds, don’t forget about your bushes and trees. Now is the time for their upkeep as well. The effort made towards their health and well-being now will translate directly to their beauty, fruit, or shade quality later in the summer and autumn.

Pruning bushes and trees helps to improve their overall growth and health. Removing dead or unhealthy branches allows the tree or bush to use its energy more efficiently. In the mid-spring as the buds begin to sprout, it is a good time to prune as you can then clearly see the dead spots and tangled areas. Many trees can be susceptible to disease and viruses; the early spring generally has less pathogens floating around in the air to infect the fresh pruning cuts. Peach trees and other stone fruit trees are particularly at risk and may require an anti-fungal spray treatment, such as copper sulfate, to mitigate their risk to peach tree canker, for example.

Freshly pruned Kim Lilac bush. Fort Collins, CO

Freshly pruned Kim Lilac bushes. Fort Collins, CO

The early spring is a good time to address nutrient needs before they manifest into greater problems later. Trees and bushes need nitrogen to grow and giving them an appropriate type in spring is a good practice. The type of fertilizer picked should be researched prior as one does not fit all. A fertilizer meant for non-flowering bushes would not be suited for a flowering breed as the NPK values would interfere in their flowering. A healthy application of compost and non-dyed mulch certainly goes a long way towards the benefit of most bushes and smaller trees and should be refreshed at least once a year. 

 Iron deficiency, or iron chlorosis, is another issue seen in Northern Colorado as the clay-heavy soil creates a PH in the alkaline range, around 7. This hinders the ability of trees and bushes to fully draw nutrients from the ground to sustain themselves. This lack of iron prevents sufficient creation of chlorophyll which is required for photosynthesis and can ultimately kill the tree. This condition causes the tree’s leaves to become yellow to white over time and ultimately burn or brown significantly before the end to the summer.

Maple and Oak trees are particularly susceptible to iron chlorosis and benefit from a yearly treatment to achieve the full life of the tree. Professional tree care is required in extreme cases, but yearly treatments of chelated iron to the soil and foliage can mitigate much of the potential damage.

Bushes and trees provide many benefits to our lives and natural spaces in which we dwell. They are, in many cases, the scenery of our lives and memories. A little effort in the spring towards their health is often returned tenfold in beauty and production.

 It's not too late to schedule a Garden Chat to have our expert gardener evaluate your gardening space, build a custom garden bed, and help with planting this season!