Planting
Bedding plants/annuals are now available to replace any cool-season annuals that are just about done. Zinnia, ageratum, coleus, dahlia, marigold, nicotiana, phlox, petunia, and salvia are in season. Also, try some taller annuals such as cosmos, cleome, sunflowers, and foxgloves to add height and interest to the garden beds.

There's still time to plant roses. They are full of buds and blooms right now--and they are simply gorgeous.

If you are a beneficial insect lover, flat-topped flowers like Shasta daisies, scabiosa, strawflowers, and yarrow are perfect additions to your garden for feeding them. Beneficial insects such as the almost microscopic parasitic wasps, ladybugs, etc. keep other insect pests away from your vegetable gardens by eating aphids, scale, and other annoying intruders. You can use beautiful flowers to tempt these garden friends into your garden. Try putting some of these flowers near to your rose garden for aphid control!

Time to plant dahlias, begonias--and get in the gladiolus bulbs. Add some bone meal to the planting hole.

The narcissus and daffodils are blooming, as well as other spring blooming bulbs. As soon as the blooms are spent, you can deadhead--but don't remove the foliage! The bulb needs that green foliage to add nutrients back to the bulb for next year's flowers. Hide the clippers for a little while longer. Try an old-fashioned technique of braiding the leaves. If you must cut, leave at least half of the leaf length for the bulb. It will thank you with next year's bloom!

It's time to start warm season crops. Coastal areas can continue planting cool season crops like the leaf lettuces, radishes, and spinach for a while. Inland zones (not the high desert, though) can start the warm season vegetables such as beans, corn, squashes, cucumber, eggplant, tomatoes and peppers.

Maintenance
Continue with fertilizing those areas of the garden you haven't gotten to yet. Once your azaleas and camellias have stopped blooming their hearts out, they will thank you if you feed them. This is a good time to prune back these two spring bloomers. Once the flowering has ended and before the new growth begins, prune and shape to your desired shape and size.

You may see some chlorosis on your acid-loving plants like the azalea or camellia, and possibly on your citrus. This yellowing of the leaves between the veins is a sign of iron deficiency for the plant. Feed with a good iron supplement.

Especially near the coast, this is the time we begin to see powdery mildew on our rose foliage (and other plants too). There are several different foliar fungicidal sprays to that can help.

Aphids will be back. Remember that you can first wash them off with water. Really, it does help. For more severe infestations, ask us to recommend something suitable for your particular plants.

Continue to replenish your mulch and maintain a 2-4" blanket over your soil.

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Answer:

Double digging is an old garden technique of amending the soil in a flower or vegetable garden that is still as effective today as it was back in medieval Europe.

But be forewarned, double digging is a lot of work. In fact, just thinking about it makes us break out in a sweat. The term comes from "double the depth" of a normal spade or shovel blade--hence double-digging. You will also be adding one third of the depth of your spade or shovel in soil amendment to the entire garden you are digging in.

To get started, dig out the topsoil to the depth of your spade or shovel in a trench one spade wide along one end of your bed and set aside in a wheelbarrow or on a tarp.

Turn, break and aerate the next spade depth and width. Work in one third by volume of soil amendment. Blend together with turned-over soil and fill in the first trench.

Now repeat the process with another trench. Blend that soil with more soil amendment, and transfer to the previous trench. At the end of the bed, place the topsoil from the wheelbarrow or tarp over the last section, add amendment, and mix it in.

Make sure to remove any rocks or old pieces of roots as you fill in each trench.

Now--if you haven't collapsed yet--go ahead and plant your flowers. Better yet, plant a new crop of veggies. You'll need the vitamins to help you recover from the exhaustion! More seriously--if you have poor soil, double-digging is one of the most effective ways to improve the soil to a good depth, one that will allow your plant roots plenty of room to grow. Rototilling and such can help too but it doesn't improve much but the top layer of soil. Double-digging may be labor-intensive, but it works.

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Now is the time to plant summer season bulbs for that Summertime Sizzle!

Tuberous Begonia (tuber)
There are many varieties of begonias from single or double flower, ruffled petal flowers to camellia--or carnation-form flowers. Their colors are extremely vivid, from reds and red-orange to orange, yellow, white and hot pink; there are even bi-colored varieties. A highly versatile bulb, it is wonderful in flowerbeds, patio containers, window boxes, or hanging baskets.

Plant begonias in well-draining soil in an indirect light or dappled shade location. They also like regular watering and prefer to stay moist. Don't let them dry out. Begonias will bloom for you from summer into early fall.

Caladium (tuber)
These tropical plants are native to South America and are grown for their beautiful foliage. Caladiums are ideal border plants, lovely in window boxes and stunning when planted in a random mix in beds. The size of the heart-shaped leaves can be from 6 inches to 2 feet in length. The colors vary from green and white, green and red, white with red blotches or green veins--and some even have lavender spots.

Caladiums thrive in partial sun and shade; some varieties are more sun tolerant and can be planted in full sun or low shade conditions. They like a warm and moist atmosphere with a minimum summer temperature of 75 degrees and a minimum winter temperature of 55 degrees. If the bulbs are planted in deep shade, the green color will dominate. If planted in highly acidic soil, the darker colors will then dominate.

Crocosmia (corm)
Crocosmia, a corm from South Africa, has sword-shaped, arching foliage and red/red-orange, orange, or yellow tubular flowers in a raceme configuration. (Raceme: a long flower cluster on which individual flowers each bloom on small stalks from a common, larger, central stalk.)

Croscosmias love full sun and well-drained soil. These flowers look beautiful if clustered en masse toward the back of your perennial border, as the foliage can be as high as 5 feet. They are spreading, so from time to time, you may want to divide. This is best done immediately after flowering.

Dahlia (tuber)
This wonderful flower (a tuber) was discovered by the Spanish when they arrived in the mountains of Mexico. There are many, many flower forms, sizes and colors. Dahlias are divided into a number of types based upon the shape of the flower: cactus, decorative (large, medium, small and miniature), ball pompoms, anemone, collerettes and paeony flower shapes.

Dahlias should be planted in your garden beds and borders in rich, well-drained soil. They are heavy feeders and like to remain moist. Mulch your garden beds to hold in the moisture. Also, for best results, clip off dead flowers to encourage further blooming. By the way, the dahlia is a wonderful cut flower.

Gladiolus (corm)
Another bulb originating in South Africa, the hybrids of today offer a wide range of colors covering almost the entire color spectrum!
Most frequently grown to be a cut flower, they occupy any number of areas of our gardens. They might be given a spot in the perennial border, but often they are given their own little plot.

They require full sun and well-drained soil, and may need staking. Try staggering the bulb plantings over a period of time to give you blooms throughout the summer into the fall.

Japanese Iris (bulb--Iris ensata)
The Japanese iris is of Asian origin. This sun- and water-loving plant is an excellent marginal plant for bog water features. Japanese irises are beautiful blue bloomers with sword-like (ensata means sword) foliage.

Plant your Japanese irises in a spot that gets at least six hours of full sun and has plenty of humus-rich soil. They are heavy feeders but water is their most important requirement. Also, the Japanese iris is a rapid spreader but easy to divide if it becomes too populated.

Peony (rhizomes--Paeonia)
Peonies can be herbaceous or perennial shrubs originally from China, Japan and Europe. Flower colors range from white to pink, purple, red, and more! Some peonies have single flower forms and others a double form, all extremely beautiful.

Plant your peonies in full sun to part shade. Plant the roots so the "eyes" (nubs where new growth emerges) are facing upward. If peonies are planted too deep, they will not flower. Peonies sometimes do not flower until their second or third year after planting, but they will greatly reward your patience when they do flower. Take care to leave plenty of space between your plantings to allow for air circulation. And be sure to mulch once they are planted.

Herbaceous peonies bloom well only where they experience extended winter chill, and we certainly can offer that to this beautiful plant. These will die to the ground in late fall, only to burst back in the spring, flowering in the summer.

Tree peonies can grow up to 6 feet tall. They are also deciduous, but maintain their woody form in winter, with annual pruning in fall to control plant size. The tree peony's woody branches will bear gorgeous flowers from spring into summer.

Ranunculus (tuber)
This bulb is from the Mediterranean and Middle East regions. The flower colors range from bright yellow with pink, orange and white.

Ranunculus love sun but need a sheltered area of your garden beds (among shrubs). They like well-drained soil and regular watering. They perform best from year to year if you dig up the claw-like tuber and store in a frost-free location.

Plant the bulb with the fingers of the claw pointing downward.

Canna (rhizome)
If you love bold flower and foliage colors, cannas are for you. They will bloom spring, summer, and fall. There are many varieties and can add color pizzazz to any flower border. Although they are native to tropical and subtropical regions, you can add this wonderful plant to any perennial flower bed or border. There are a large number of varieties to pick from, giving you many choices in size, flower color, and foliage color.

Plant in full sun with well-draining soil, after the last frost in the spring. Dig up the rhizome before winter frosts and store in a dry, frost-free location.

Corn Lily (corm--Ixia)

Another contribution from South Africa, Ixia blooms from spring through summer. Flower colors range from red, violet, pink, yellow, or white with dark colored centers.

Ixia likes full sun and regular watering until the end of their bloom time. Then withhold water.

Spider Lilies (bulb--Lycorus)
These are native of China and Japan and are perfect in your gardens to give you the late summer-early fall blooms. The flowers are beautiful, with petals that often 'recurve,' or curl open and back on themselves.

Plant in sun/part shade and give regular water. The flower stem will emerge first and the foliage will follow.

Aztec Lily (large bulb--Sprekelia)
Sprekelia is in the amaryllis family and is a native of Mexico. The red flowers are simply striking and last a long time. The Aztec lily is a must in any flower border!

Plant these with the bulb at soil level in a sunny location with well-drained soil.

Calla Lily (rhizome--Zantedeschia)
The calla lily is yet another native of South Africa. This flower has been popularized by florists, and it is a wonderful addition to any shade garden. There are many varieties of calla from the common white to green with white, yellow, and pink. By the way, the most attractive part of the calla is actually not a large petal--it is a spathe.

Callas like moist shady locations. They need to be removed before winter and overwintered in a dry, frost-free location.

Preparing your soil for bulb planting is simple. Use a good amendment at a 50/50 ratio in the areas where you intend to plant your bulbs. As you dig each hole for the bulbs, add some bulb food like Whitney Farms Bulb Food. Following this preparation and giving your bulbs the sun/shade and watering that they require will bring you a vividly colorful impressionist summer garden. Just imagine, your gardens will have an unbelievable, sizzling 'WOW' factor.

Spring is around the corner. The cool season grasses such as fescue, ryegrass, and bluegrass are those lawns over which people have exclaimed, "You look marvelous!" (Can't you just hear Billy Crystal?) They have been bright green all winter. They are still growing fast; mow them weekly with a rotary mower (to 1 1/2 inches in height).

You should be feeding all established lawns now with a complete lawn fertilizer--containing phosphorus and potassium as well as nitrogen--to get warm-season grasses off to a good start and keep cool-season grasses going longer. A healthy, well-fed lawn is better able to withstand pests and diseases and choke out weeds

Warm-season grasses, such as Bermuda, dichondra, and zoysia, are waking up from winter dormancy. As they start growing, begin mowing weekly with a reel mower to the correct height for each. Mow common Bermuda to 1 inch, hybrid Bermuda to 1/2 or 1/4 inch, St. Augustine to between 3/4 and 1 1/4 inches, and zoysia to 3/4 to 1 inch height. Cut Adalayd grass with a rotary mower between 3/4 and 1 inch in height.

We have mentioned two different kinds of lawn mowers: rotary and reel. A rotary mower is one in which one blade spins horizontally and uses a sucking and tearing action to cut the blades of grass. A reel mower is one in which the blades spin vertically and use a scissoring action to cut the blades of grass.

You notice that we recommend fertilizing with a complete fertilizer. While nitrogen gives your lawn top growth and a healthy green color you can see, phosphorus and potassium feed the roots and growth systems of the plant that are unseen but just as important. Phosphorus and potassium are longer lasting in soil than nitrogen, so one feeding a season with them is often adequate. After this complete feeding, you can switch to a less expensive, pure nitrogen fertilizer if desired, and feed warm-season grasses with it once a month for the rest of the growing season.

Before applying your complete fertilizer, be sure to read the instructions for your lawn type. Apply fertilizer when the ground is damp and grass blades dry, and follow up by watering deeply. Otherwise, you risk burning your lawn. As an alternative fertilizer for the cool season lawn, add coated slow-release fertilizer. Cool-season grasses need little or no fertilizer during the warmer months of the year. Slow release fertilizer will work perfectly for this type of lawn.

Irrigate all lawns now, according to their individual needs, if rains have not been adequate.

Both warm- and cool-season grasses may be bought as sod, and cool-season grasses can be planted from sod any month year-round. Although you can plant both warm- and cool-season grasses from seed this month, fall is actually a better time to plant cool-season grass seed. This is because fall planting gives cool-season grasses planted from seed more time to establish a root system before summer heat arrives. When planting warm-season grasses, wait until the weather has warmed up in your area. (If you plan to plant zoysia, it's best to wait until June.)

There are numerous lawn types and you should investigate each of them before choosing and planting one. How do you choose which grass is right for you? There are many considerations: sun, shade, foot traffic, pets, children, hardiness, style, color, and simply the "look" that you like.

When planting a new lawn, regardless of the type of grass and method of planting you choose, be sure to prepare the site thoroughly. If you're planting an invasive grass, such as Bermuda or an invasive variety of zoysia, first install edging to keep it from creeping into borders.

For all lawns, roto-till deeply, add plenty of soil amendment, then level and roll this amended ground. "Level" might mean rolling the area completely flat or it may mean compacting the soil but adding mounded areas of interest. The point is to level out soil so that your new lawn is not filled with hundreds of hills and valleys that would make walking on it (and mowing it) difficult.

If you have chosen to put in a seed lawn, sprinkle seeds evenly. This is most efficiently done using a hand-held fertilizer spreader or a seed spreader and covering the seeds with mulch or a lawn topper product.

Perhaps you are putting in a lawn that can be grown from stolons. Stolons are little portions of the plant that will root once in contact with the soil. St. Augustine is an example of this type of grass. Either roll stolons with a roller to press them into the soil or simply partially cover them with topsoil or a lawn topper product. Keep your freshly planted lawn damp until established. Sprinkle it two or three times daily, and avoid watering late in the day.

Just water and watch. In a few months--voilà--your new lawn!