February Spring

By the time you read this column Valentine’s Day will have already passed . That means it is time to trim the roses in preparation for spring blooms. After trimming, the young red growth will be visible. This new growth is susceptible to freezes, so if a hard freeze is predicted you might cover your bushes.

My yard is coming to life on these longer beautiful sunny days. The Red Barron peach tree has been blooming for a few weeks. This variety of peach is great for early blossoms, but only results in fruit when our winters are mild.

There are a variety of narcissus that are beginning to bloom in my yard. In December I wrote about forcing paperwhite narcissus in the house. I mentioned that I decided to try putting a few paperwhite narcissus bulbs in the ground where the deer roam to see if their strong scent made them deer resistant. They did not bother the emerging green foliage or the bud sheaths. I thought the flowers were home free too until one day my husband pointed out that a deer was eating my flowers! Oh well, it was worth a try.

Hyacinths buds are forcing their way to the surface. All of these bulbs have to be planted in the fall. Plants you can now put in the ground or pots to enjoy in the early spring include pansies, stock, snapdragons, dianthus (pinks), calendulas and even petunias. These plants can all take a light freeze but should be covered if a night temperature prediction threatens to go down in the 20’s.

I am fond of nasturtium but I have to plant them in a pot so I can bring them inside when it gets too hot or too cold for them. The flowers and leaves of these plants are edible. I hope you are enjoying our early spring.

Written by Jackie Mattice, Hays County Master Naturalist