Dirt-y Secrets: Spring has sprung and it’s time to plan for May flowers

By Ranel Hanson
Reader Columnist

“It is one of those April Days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold, when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade.” 

— Charles Dickens

Spring has arrived! Daffodils are blooming and tulips are getting ready. The air smells fresh and warm — sometimes. Here in North Idaho, we can experience snow flurries to sunshine in an hour. Gardeners need to pay attention to the weather forecasters because frost is possible virtually anytime. I usually plant porch pots around May 1, but I am ready with frost cloth to cover if need be — and April showers really do bring May flowers.

Courtesy photo.

If you have tulips, you probably don’t have deer. Or you have put them behind a fence. Deer really consider your tulips to be candy, and daffodils are more like Brussels sprouts. Not that they won’t eat them, but they will only eat them after exhausting supplies of more attractive plants. The same goes for hyacinth and crocus, and I have never had a deer munch on alliums — they’re too oniony. So, plant your-not-so-tasty bulbs in open areas and your tulips in protected spaces. 

Swallows are back and eager to start families. Robins, chickadees, woodpeckers, starlings, sparrows and eagles are all mating and staking out their own territories. Nests are being built, eggs are being laid and soon we will hear those baby birds cheeping; then, in just a few weeks, they will fledge. Soon after, their parents will begin again, as some birds raise several clutches. 

If you have bird houses, be sure to place them near a hedge or leafy tree so that birds can seek cover from predators. I think birds do a good job of cleaning bird houses by eating whatever larva wasps left behind. I haven’t seen a hummingbird yet, but I put out a feeder. I expect they will arrive soon. 

Bees are eager to get to work and pollinate up a storm. But unless the days are above 50 degrees, they are staying in their cozy hive, crevasse or nest tube. They will wait until conditions are right and blossoms are out to get to work. 

I haven’t freed my Mason bees from their winter fridge haven because there just aren’t yet enough blossoms for them to feed upon.  

Mother’s Day is coming up soon — Sunday, May 12 — and, if your mom appreciates flowers, I’d like to suggest you plant a pot or a basket and give it to her as a gift. If her favorites are the summer standbys like zinnias, petunias, marigolds and begonias, be careful to keep them from freezing. But you can plant pansies, creeping Jenny, primroses and violas without fear. Or, if that sounds like too much, you can get a ready-made basket at one of our fine local nurseries. A gift certificate to a nursery is also a worthy gift.

Meanwhile, it is time to pay attention to weeds — get them before they take over. I use my trusty squirt bottle of vinegar and dish soap if the weeds aren’t close to the plant I am nurturing, because vinegar kills everything. You must really soak them, and not on a rainy day. If you can’t squirt, use your trowel to get them out and always try to get the root. There is a handy tool that pries them out neatly and is available at the co-op.

It is also almost time to plant milkweed. I encourage everyone to plant some and invite monarch butterflies to stop by. Idaho used to be on the migration route but, because of habitat loss, they have changed their route. They must have milkweed for their caterpillars to eat (and only milkweed). We have an organization locally that is devoted to monarchs ([email protected]) and you can get lots and lots of great information from them. They have seeds for free or you can buy them at All Seasons nursery.  

Finally, I am again urging everyone to use organic garden condiments. No weed ’n’ feed, no Turf Builder, etc. That is because those products, and many others like them, contain toxic chemicals that can end up in our lake and in you. Absolutely no Roundup, in spite of all of the attractive ads. Good old steer manure (composted, to avoid weeds) and any of the many organic fertilizers that are readily available work beautifully.

Until April showers bring May flowers!