Nothing matches the extravagant impact of bulbs blooming in spring. But you don’t have to plant hundreds of them — here are a few simple bulb and plant combinations that will create a great splash of color!

Check out more outstanding plant combinations in Great Plant Combos Made Easy at right from the editors of Garden Gate magazine.

problem solver

Eastern cottontail

Sylvilagus spp.

IDENTIFICATION — Most of us know a rabbit when we see it — long ears, fuzzy tail and a piece of your favorite plant dangling from its mouth! Eastern cottontails, the most common, are found across North America.

DAMAGE — These pests do eat annuals and perennials, but the damage is usually cosmetic, although they can ruin a vegetable garden or your favorite spring bulbs. But worse yet, they can girdle and kill shrubs and small trees, often the most expensive plants in a garden. Damage to trees is more severe during the winter when there aren’t green plants for rabbits to munch. If you look closely at the trunk, you’ll see characteristic small, paired tooth marks. The damage usually starts a couple of inches from the ground and goes above the highest snow line.

CONTROL — First, make the area less attractive by removing hiding places like brush piles. There are hundreds of home recipes for keeping rabbits away. Some people swear by them; others may find that they simply don’t work. In any case, they probably won’t keep really hungry rabbits at bay for long.

Chemical repellents, like Ro-Pel^®, are effective, but most of them need to be reapplied after rain and several times during the winter. A cylinder of 1/4-in. hardware cloth will keep rabbits away from shrubs and young trees. The bottom of the cylinder needs to be 3 in. below the soil’s surface to prevent digging, and the top needs to be 24 in. above the anticipated snow line. Or you can use rigid plastic tree guards, although in extreme cases, rabbits can chew through them.

You can fence off an entire bed with chicken wire or hardware cloth, but make sure there are no rabbits hiding inside when you’re fencing. Check the bed periodically during the winter to make sure that no rabbits have managed to move in.

Great Plant Combos Made Easy

Learn to combine plants like a pro for instant impact and season-long color with this book from the editors of Garden Gate magazine.

from the

current issue

of Garden Gate magazine:

Slide Show

A Sneak Peek at our Favorite New Plants!

Plan

A Bird-Friendly Back Yard

Article

13 Great Plants: Evergreens Give a Small Garden Structure

See all Web extras

Whether you’re new to tree pruning or have been doing it for years, you’ll find that one of the best times to start is when plants are dormant in winter or early spring. You can see the branches that need to be removed without all of those leaves in the way. And it’s good for the tree, too: The rising sap in spring will stimulate new growth to make the wounds heal over faster.

With a couple of exceptions, you can prune almost any deciduous tree this time of year. Maples and birches bleed sap if their bark is injured in the spring. Losing sap won’t kill the tree, but it is messy as it runs down the trunk or drips from branches. It’s better to wait until midsummer to prune these two trees.

Here are a few problems to watch for: Water sprouts are shoots that grow strictly upright from along the main branches. Stubs are blunt-ended branches left on the tree that detract from its natural or graceful shape. Crossed or rubbing branches create opportunities for disease or pests to enter. And finally, high up in the tree, too many small branches block sunlight, so the tree might need a little thinning. Once you’ve spotted some of these problems in your tree, the next step is to gather the right pruning tools.

HANDHELD PRUNERS — Carry your pruners with you whenever you’re in the garden so you can snip small water sprouts, suckers and twigs as you spot them. Most pruners will cut branches with a 3/4-in. diameter with no problem. Some prefer bypass or scissor-cut pruners like these because they cut close to a branch and won’t leave a stub. Unlike anvil pruners, they’re less likely to crush the bark at the edge of the wound.

These Felco pruners are our favorite — buy our Pruning Gift Set, which includes a #2 or #6 pair of Felco pruners, a sheath and The Pruner’s Bible, and we’ll throw in a free sharpener.

PRUNING SAW — If you’re removing branches smaller than 3 in. in diameter, a pruning saw works fine. The curved blade allows you to get into tight places. Or try a double-edged pruning saw. One edge has coarse teeth for rough cutting and the other has smaller teeth for making finer finish cuts.

POLE SAW — With this tool, you won’t need to climb into the tree or drag a ladder out of the shed to reach branches 15 ft. up. This pole saw has a curved blade so you can hook onto and easily cut a 2-in.-diameter branch. On the opposite side of the saw is a hook with a lopper blade that cuts when you pull on a rope. It comes in handy when you’re snipping small branches or twigs as you thin the crown.

Pruning Gift Set

Buy the set: Felco pruners, sheath and The Pruner’s Bible — and get the sharpener for free!…

Click for a foliage detail.

problem solver

Box elder

Acer negundo

IDENTIFICATION — Box elder leaves have three lobed leaflets that are somewhat pointed. The stems are smooth green to dark red with a white waxy coating that you can rub off with your fingers. Click to see a foliage detail.

A single or multi-stemmed tree that grows up to 75-ft.-tall, box elder is not good to have in your garden. Winged seeds can sprout almost anywhere and new trees can also sprout from the shallow roots, which make it hard to grow anything nearby. In addition, its weak wood breaks easily in storms.

FAVORITE CONDITIONS — Box elder is not picky. Any place in full sun to part shade with moist, even wet soil is fine. It readily adapts to almost any conditions except deep shade or very dry soil.

CONTROL — Pull seedlings if you spot them when they’re young enough. This is the best method in areas where you can’t dig or spray, such as in ground cover beds.

Spray young sprouts in open, mulched areas with nonselective herbicides, such as Roundup^® Poison Ivy & Tough Brush Killer Plus. Always follow the label directions, but you usually apply these products to actively growing weeds in spring or summer.

Digging is the preferred method in beds where spraying a herbicide would be risky for the other plants. Plus, unlike spraying actively growing weeds, digging lets you get rid of box elder any time you can push the shovel into the soil.

Once box elder gets too big to dig, you’ll need to use a saw to remove it. Then dribble or brush on a systemic stump killer around the edges where the sap is flowing. It’s absorbed into the wood and kills the roots.

Click for a planting plan and plant list.

kitchen basket

Florists, supermarket floral departments and even home improvement stores stock live plants year-round these days. But their color really packs a punch when the view outdoors is dreary. In addition to house plants, in late winter you’ll see pre-chilled spring bulbs, such as hyacinths, daffodils and tulips, ready to bloom. Blooming gift plants, like cyclamen and primrose, are also easy to find now. You can buy them already combined in pretty containers, but it’s more fun to buy individual ones and put together different combinations. It’s easy — create your own!

First, look around your house for a fun, unique container. You can use almost anything that’ll hold plants, as long as it has drainage. Here, a wire basket lined with pre-soaked and wrung-out sheet moss, holds a plastic bag (with a couple of drainage holes poked in the bottom) and some potting mix. Pop the plants out of their plastic pots and tuck them into the mix. Or, if you prefer, just set them, pots and all, into your container and top with more moss to hide the pot edges. (Either way works fine, since this isn’t a very long-term arrangement. (Check out the plan here.)

A few cut stems of pussy willow add flair to the combination. Use a saucer — either in the bottom of the basket or underneath — to keep any water droplets from damaging the table. In a cool room, expect your combination to last several weeks.

problem solver

Crown vetch

Coronilla varia

IDENTIFICATION — Crown vetch grows up to 2 ft. tall. It has a dense, sprawling habit with stems that can be 5 to 6 ft. long. Pink flowers are followed by 3-in.-long seed pods. Although it’s still being sold and planted, you do not want this near your garden. It can spread quickly with seeds, root and stem pieces, and it’s tough to get rid of.

FAVORITE CONDITIONS — You’ll find this pest in full sun to part shade in rocky or rich soil. Once used to control erosion along roadways, this weed escaped and is forcing out native plants.

CONTROL — Dig crown vetch out of established gardens or use a selective herbicide in turf areas. It’s a perennial, so for the best control, apply herbicide in fall, before the leaves go dormant, and again in spring as the leaves emerge. Repeated mowing also keeps this weeds from producing seeds.

When you’re tackling crown vetch and other weeds with tough roots, a good weeding tool, such as our Soil Knife, really comes in handy.

What’s Wrong

With My Plant?

(And How Do I Fix It?)

This handy book helps you diagnose problems and keep your plants healthy!

It’s never too early to start planning dynamite containers for great summer color. But do you need some fresh ideas to inspire you? Here are a few gorgeous container plantings to get you going! Want to know exactly how to plant each of these up? Check out the Container Plans below.

CONTAINER PLANS:

1. Simple and Stunning   2. Show-Stopping Color   3. Merry Sunshine

4. Shady Summer Combo  5. Ever So Exuberant

See plans and plant lists for lots of other fabulous container recipes in Containers Made Easy! at right!