A. Spring Planting-At lower elevations on the western slope the soil warms up enough to start working it sometime between mid-March and mid-April. You may do planting at this time, keep in mind that new plants will require watering and you must have the ability to water them well. At higher elevations you should be able to start planting when most of the snow cover is gone, usually mid-April to mid-May. Mother Nature has everything to do with this, each year will be different.

A. Discouraging Wildlife-If no evidence of the plant is left behind, you probably have a critter of some kind eating your plants or carrying them off. Most of us live in the area we do, partly because of the wildlife and like to have them around. If you’re someone who doesn’t want them around, the only sure way to keep them at bay is a fence, for deer it must be a minimum of 6’ and 8’ for elk. It is extremely difficult to keep ground squirrels and rabbits at bay, even with a fence, however. If you like the animals around but would prefer them to not eat your garden there are a few things you can do. First thing to do is to try to plant things that the animals don’t like or prefer not to eat. Planting larger quantities of a specific plant will give both you and the animals some to enjoy. And last but certainly not least there are many repellents on the market today that truly work, they must be reapplied regularly.

A. Ash Borer Management-You should start looking for the adult clear-wing borer (resembles paper wasps in size and color) in late March by using pheromone traps to monitor their flight periods (breeding and egg laying time). Trunk sprays of insecticides should be applied about 2-3 weeks after the first adults are captured. If heavy flights continue a month after application, reapplication may be needed, especially if plants have received previous injury. If you don’t want to bother with the traps yourself, the Cooperative Extension in your county will have flight dates; you can give them a call.

A. Weed Control-First thing you want to do is separate the bed from your lawn, use a heavy duty edging 4-6inches in width to keep the grass out. Next, you need to kill the existing weeds, use a pre-emergent herbicide to keep the seeds from germinating and an all-purpose weed killer for the weeds already sprouted. Next, you want to use a weed barrier, cover the entire area getting as close to the shrubs as possible. Your weed barrier should be made of fabric not plastic, so as to allow air and water through. Also the more expensive professional brand will last longer than the cheaper ones. Last you need to cover with about 3 inches of mulch, shredded bark or rock, whatever you prefer.