Spring is here?

At least the calendar says it is! We have some damage here from a late frost but the trees will come back. Mother's Day should be 70 – 75 degrees or so and warming up, but it will be cooler the week after! So, the freezes should be over now, but not necessarily.

So, make this the year you get your landscape back in shape. Trees, flowers, shrubs, ground cover, bedding plants and more weeds because of the rain we have had. Yes, there is always a negative.

Anyway, I wrote last article on post emergent and pre-emergent herbicides. Today we are going to do pest control.

If you did not use dormant oil, there are other solutions available. On fruit trees and shade trees, Neem oil is the most versatile and takes care of both insects and disease at the same time. Neem oil is from a tree in India. I also use Eight, which can be used on almost anything, from garden to fruit to shade trees, and is very safe to use. Captain Jack's is also good. Many people don't know that I carry ladybugs and praying mantis eggs. Ladybugs kill aphids, mealybugs, spider mites, thrips and other soft-bodied insects.

When you put the ladybugs out, wet a spot where they go and turn them loose just after dark; then they will not fly away.

Gophers and squirrels are always a problem in Tehachapi. I have controls for both including the Squirrelinator. Come see!

For Mother's Day the peonies are looking great. Many are about to bloom at the time this article comes out. They make a great gift.

Come check out our perennial gardens. Gonzalo, Corey and Susan have done lots of work in these beds to get ready for spring! These plants bloom most of the year, go dormant in winter and return in spring, larger and more vibrant than the year before. Right now we have Asiatic Lilies, Jupiter's Beard, Russian sage, Creeping phlox, Candytuft, Echinacea, Veronica, Foxglove, Delphiniums, Snapdragons and several varieties of Redbud trees to choose from. Our apple trees are in bloom!

We still have baby chicks and another order will be here before Mother's Day.

Happy Mums Day!

Mountain Gardens Nursery & Pet is located at 503 S. Curry St. in Tehachapi. Open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit us today!