The winter's polar vortex did a lot of damage to plants and lawns. Now that spring is here there are a few things that can be done to get your landscape back in shape.
AVON -- The winter's polar vortex did a lot of damage to plants and lawns. Now that spring is here, there are a few things that can be done to get your landscape back in shape.
"In the spring time when the snow is gone, you see a whitish film or fuzz all over your lawn," says Ed Simon, Petitti Garden Center perennials department manager.
That film is snow mold, or a lawn fungus that forms when snow is on a lawn for a long period of time.
"You just rake it up lightly to loosen up the grass, provide better air flow and most times it goes away by itself. If you need to, you can spray a fungicide on it to help it along."
The extreme, prolonged cold mixed with high winds also did a lot of damage to plants, especially those that aren't native to our climate. Simon recommends pruning out anything that's dead or damaged.
"It's still early in the spring, things are still waking up. If you're concerned that something is dead, give it some time, see if it sprouts new growth. If you're patient and tolerant enough to let it nurse it back to health that's fine. If it's a plant that's a focal point, you might want to dig it up and plant something else."
Simon also says you can plant tender plants outside after May 20, but if you like to plant earlier just be sure to cover the plants if there's a frost.
"You can plant whenever the ground is not frozen, you can plant whenever the ground is not soaked and muddy,"
There are also things you can do to help next winter. Simon recommends treating evergreens with a spray of waxy coating to help keep the moisture in. You can find those products at a local store.