For some reason, I always breathe a sigh of relief when April turns to May here in Southeastern PA. April is an unknown quantity: sometimes sunny and lovely, other times cold and snowy; sometimes extremely rainy, with lawns and beds too wet to get onto, and sometimes almost without measurable rainfall. Fortunately, whether wet or dry, mild or cool, April in Bucks and Montgomery Counties is always lovely as Mother Nature returns to a new growing season. In 2023, April was rather non-descript: we didn’t have the dreaded late freeze that ruins blooms on early blooming trees and bulbs (although a few nights were close), and other than a couple of days when the high temperature reached well into the 80s, the month was rather cool.
Now comes May, which is almost always warm and lovely: lawns and gardens are in full growth, annuals (both flowers and vegetables) can be planted in the earth as well as in pots and other planters (However, be aware that in this planting zone, our last frost date is May 20, so if you plant tender annuals earlier than mid-May, be sure to protect them if we have a possible overnight frost); trees, shrubs perennials and other plants are readily available at garden centers and nurseries and can be planted in your yards immediately; the days are long and warm and the nights are cool and shorter. May is a great month to spend lots of time outside, whether gardening, participating in active outdoor activities, opening the pool, or just sitting out on the deck or patio. I love May.
May is also the perfect time to get after lawn weeds, both annual weeds (crabgrass) and the myriad of perennial, broadleaf weeds (dandelions, clover, plantain, and many more that are in active growth in May and June). A single application of selective liquid herbicide on a sunny day will get rid of all of them at once. Those of you who have not yet applied your DIMENSION crabgrass control still have time to do it, but do it immediately; crabgrass has already begun germinating and growing in sunny, bare areas of lawns. Because DIMENSION uniquely both prevents successful seed germination and it also will kill recently germinated seedlings, you can still get full season crabgrass control if you hurry.
Lawn Depot Turf Management is into their mid-spring weed and crabgrass control applications and late spring fertilizer/preventative grub control applications at this time. For those of you who are not presently Lawn Depot Turf Management clients, and may be interested in employing the best turf management company in the business, give us a call (215-348-5553) or look us up on the internet (www.lawndepotinc.com) and select Request an Estimate. One of our Turf Managers will be out to your property within several days to measure and evaluate, and we’ll email you an estimate for whatever services you are interested in, whether picking up with the remainder of our regular annual program or any of the many special services we offer. We take great pride in the services we deliver and are confident in our ability to make you proud of your lawn too! Join us today.
Lawn Depot Garden Center is open every day: Monday – Friday 8-6, Saturday 8-5, and Sunday 9-3. Our Nursery Yard is filled to overflowing with gorgeous, healthy annuals (flowers and vegetables), lovely, full perennials in bloom, bud or full leaf, and lots of small shrubs and trees. Come in and browse; our friendly and knowledgeable staff are waiting to assist you in any way they can. The store also has seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, tools, and planting/potting materials for all uses and gardening needs. It’s one of our best times of the year, and we’ve got the products, plants and know how that you need to make your yards lovely. Our knowledgeable garden center team will help you get the most out of your efforts and purchases.
Bob Button