Early spring planting will definitely occur this year. With such a mild winter this year, it looks like we will again be starting about a month ahead of schedule. As with any planting schedule, weather plays the most important role in this process. Some plants are still susceptible to frost damage and you should hold off on getting them in the ground too early. Other plants such as shrubs and trees are great candidates for early planting if the weather cooperates. Early spring planting also means topdressing much ahead of schedule. Spring is a great time to spruce up your existing landscape beds or add additional plants to them.
Early spring planting can lead to challenges.
With some flowering plants, early spring planting means that the plant will stop flowering sooner than normal. Some flowering shrubs will only bloom once a season. If they bloom early, you may encounter color problems in your landscape. If your landscape was designed to have plant material overlap eye appeal, you may have a break in your color scheme. Not to worry, because some varieties of plants will just take advantage of the early spring and bloom for an additional month.
Early spring planting may also pose problems for annual plants. When the nice weather arrives, most green thumps itch to get outside and start planting. If you install annuals in your landscape, you may run into a few problems. Some nursery’s will not have the plants available in early March to handle your needs. If you do find annual plants that you want to install in your landscape, you may have to nurse them along longer. Planting early in the spring can expose your plants to warm day time temperatures and cool night temperatures. The cooler night temperatures may cause frost or harm the growth of the plant.