SWANSEA, Mass. (WPRI) — Ongoing drought conditions and cooler April temperatures have delayed this year’s gardening season in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
“A lot of perennials were a little late because they need that wet, slightly warm spring to sort of kickstart them,” explained Jenny-Lu Rulon at Swansea’s Redwood Nursery. She noted that gardeners may notice their plants drooping or see less growth this year.
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She told 12 News the warmer temperatures that finally arrived last month have been helpful for both the plants and the business.
“We still had our May boom, and it’s still going strong now in June,” Rulon said. “We usually see a little bit of die-off toward the end of this month, but we’re wondering if, because of the cooler temperatures, we’re going to be seeing more people come in that were a little disappointed.”
For anyone looking to start gardening, Rulon recommends paying attention to the needs of different plants.
“A mistake many new gardeners make is they go out to a garden center… they don’t look at the tags and look at what sort of light they have,” Rulon said. “They’ll plant a big leaf hydrangea in full sun and be disappointed when it just shrivels away, or they’ll plant roses in slightly shady areas, and it lives, but it never really blooms.”
Rulon also advises paying attention to how much you’re watering plants, as both overwatering and underwatering can negatively impact your garden.
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