Page 29 - Leisure Living Magazine: Spring 2021 Edition

warmer months. I asked a couple of local pro- fessionals for advice.
Chad Corso, president of Corso’s Flower & Garden Center in Sandusky, said early
spring is the perfect time to fin-
ish cleaning up the fall debris,
plus mulch and prep. Tyler Brown, who
manages the Catawba Is- land location of Barnes Nursery, agreed. “That’s probably the best time to clean
up the beds,” he said. “One thing that most people probably don’t do is get a soil test done in your gar- den to see what nutrients might be lacking.” Test- ing and applying early gives the fertilizers time to work.
Brown recom- mends organic fertil- izers, which tend to re- lease the nutrients more slowly and are better for the environment.
I asked both Brown and
Corso for advice on how to make
gardening more enjoyable throughout
the year. Both mentioned slow-release fertil- izers. Watering the plants can be a challenge, especially for people who have weekend
homes and are likely to spend several days – perhaps really hot days – away. Soaker hos- es or other irrigation systems can be helpful.
“You can make it look nice all summer without worrying about missing the watering,” Corso said. He said mulch not only keeps the weeds down, but also reduces the need for wa-
tering.
Brown also sug-
gested sticking to drought-resistant plants, especial- ly native plants. They’ll naturally do better in our area. Many of the native plants will also attract but- terflies, bees, and
hummingbirds. My neigh- bors have butterfly bushes that I can see from my front window. This year, one of my goals is to plant more things that will attract both butter- flies and hummingbirds. Those same neighbors have a back patio that became the neighborhood gathering spot last summer. We could get together to share food, drinks, stories, and laughter, all while
staying safe.
Continued on page 30
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