Wait until after the danger of frost has passed to set out frost-tender plants. Historic frost dates: In Zone 8 the last frost date is March 15 and in Zone 9 it is Feb. 15, but watch the weather forecast for your area.
Clean up drying grasses within 30 feet of structures for fire prevention. This also encourages spring growth.Deeply water fruit and nut trees. Ideally, mature fruit trees should be irrigated to a depth of 3 feet.Blast aphids from plants with a spray of water or use insecticidal soap.Pinch back perennials and fast-growing annuals to encourage dense growth and more blooms.Thin vegetable seedlings by pinching or clipping, rather than pulling them out of the soil, which will damage neighboring plants.Prune deciduous magnolia, dogwood, forsythia, lilac, azalea, spiraea, camellia, and flowering quince after bloom.Fertilize roses, citrus, container plants, and berries with slow-release fertilizer.Fertilize acid-loving plants such as camellias and azaleas after bloom.Plant annuals and perennials while it is still cool so they can establish a good root system before the weather becomes really hot.Annuals: Floss flower (Ageratum), bachelor’s button (Centaurea), bee balm (Monarda).Bulbs, corms, tubers: gladiolus.Fruits and vegetables: transplant: cucumbers, peppers.Trees, shrubs, vines: Cedar (cedrus), desert willow (Chilopsis), rose of Sharon (Hibiscus), trumpet vine (Clytostoma).Annuals and perennials: calendula, Leucanthemum paludosum, larkspur (Consolida), delphinium.Bulbs, corms, tubers: iris.Trees, shrubs, vines: almond, redbud, dogwood (Cornus), hawthorn (Crataegus), heather (Erica), grevillea.Fruits and vegetables: artichoke, lemon, lime, mandarin orange, peas.Mosquitos can breed in even very small quantities of standing water. Don’t give them a home in your garden!Develop a drought plan for your garden in case water restrictions are implemented.
Source: Adapted from A Gardener’s Companion for the Central San Joaquin Valley, 3rd edition, currently available from Fresno County Master Gardeners for $30. These can be purchased at our demonstration garden – Garden of the Sun (1750 N Winery (McKinley/Winery), open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 am to Noon, and via email at mgfresno@ucanr.edu. Gardening questions answered as well at mgfresno@ucanr.edu. Prepared by Terry Lewis, Master Gardener UCCE Fresno County.
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