There is still plenty of time to plant warm-season vegetables and flowers. Garden centers are abounding in options for both edibles and ornamentals.
Like flower gardens, vegetable gardens can be a bit slow after colder than-normal-temperatures, since they cause many gardeners to plant later than normal. Some gardeners can get an early harvest of lettuce, broccoli, peas, green onions, radishes, kale, and Swiss chard, but others may have to wait a little longer. As you harvest and create space in the garden, replant with warm-season vegetables. There is still plenty of time to plant tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and squash—which, for some, is their second planting! Watermelon and cantaloupe plants take up much space, so consider trellising them to control the spread. Wait for the soil to warm up a bit before planting Southern peas and okra. Mulch and control weeds, fertilize and water your plants, and monitor for pests.
New growth should be sprouting if your plants froze back to the ground during the colder months. However, no flowers for this season unless you are growing the reblooming varieties. If you had winter damage on trees or shrubs, give them a couple more weeks to show signs of life before pruning unless you are sure there are dead branches. Some plants can begin to leaf out, only to be frozen back. A week or more of warm weather should have them rebounding if life is left. In rare instances, you might lose some less-than-hardy plants, but severe pruning may sometimes correct some of the damage.
Loropetalum and figs have been hard hit before, north of Clarksville, and gardenias have taken a hit in many parts of the state. There has also been a wide range of damage to fruit crops. Early blueberries, peaches, and pecans were hit in many parts of the state, while later, blueberries and blackberries appeared fine. In the northern tier, we have also seen some winter lawn damage. Low temperatures, dry weather, and late freezes during transition time will all add to the equation. Time will tell for many plants how much damage may have been done, and unfortunately, there is little that can be done to alter that damage once it is done.
Enjoy your pansies and violas for a while if they’ve survived the winter, but gradually replace them with summer annuals. Visit garden centers to see what new plants are arriving daily. Try some of our Arkansas Diamond selections—Vermillionaire Cuphea, Wasabi Coleus, Dragons Breath Celosia, and Bouquet Purple Torenia. We are also seeing loads of tropicals appearing at our garden centers. They thrive in hot, humid weather, likely just around the corner.
Now is the time to prune spring-blooming shrubs and trees if needed. Pruning should be done as soon after flowering as possible. Be selective in how you prune. Selective thinning or knowing a plant’s natural growth results in a much more pleasing plant profile than the sheared “meatball” look. Now is also the time to fertilize trees and shrubs. Most of our woody plants only need one application of fertilizer per year.
Perennials should also be up and growing well. Clean up any damaged foliage if you had some early plants nipped back by the cold. Lightly fertilize once they have leafed out again. Peonies may begin to set a copious amount of flowers. Before the blooms open up, consider using perennial stakes around them to prevent them from falling over after a rain.
Webs are likely appearing in many small trees around Arkansas. For a few weeks, we will have the marching of the Eastern tent caterpillars. They look much worse than they are, but they are a nuisance and can make a mess. The larvae gather at a fork in the tree and build a web or “tent”. They use the tent as their nightly lodging and emerge on non-rainy days to feed. The tent enlarges as the caterpillars eat. If you can reach the tents, pull them down on a cloudy day or at dusk when the caterpillars have gathered for the night and destroy them. Luckily, they have a short life span and don’t have more than one generation a year (unlike their cousin, the fall webworm, which will start appearing in a month or so and can have several generations each season).