Hartley Magazine

All the latest news, hints, tips and advice from our experts

Prune trees now in preparation for warm weather

It’s getting closer and closer to that time where we need to dust down the trowels, rakes, cutters, mowers and strimmers and tend to the garden after the barren winter months.

Jobs such as pruning fruit trees or other woody type plants in the garden can be done now as they need to be completed before the buds begin to swell.

For those green-fingered amateurs among us there is the Boston Flower & Garden Show to look forward to from March 14th to 18th. Put on by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society annually, the show is one of the biggest in the country for people to enjoy and learn from.

The show will have garden displays galore from cutting-edge landscape professionals, as well as hours of lectures and demonstrations by top garden writers, industry professionals and chefs.

People will also be able to purchase new products to go in their greenhouses or in the garden, as thousands of plants and hundreds of the newest gardening products will be available, as well as a number of exciting giveaways that people can take home with them.

There are a number of highlights on show for people to look out for such as the chance to meet HGTV star John Gidding – host of Curb Appeal: The Block – who will be demonstrating how to complete easy garden makeovers.

The After Work Urban Gardening Series is sure to be a popular demonstration as city garden center staff and horticultural non-profits will lead programs on what edibles to grown in containers and community gardens. Then a number of local chefs will show people how to transform their greenhouse produce into party-starting appetizers for your next backyard bash.

Horticultural editor at the National Gardening Association, Susan Littlefield said the show will help provide amateur gardeners with information and inspiration on how to fill their plants in the coming months.

Susan also recommended that people should be heading to local greenhouses or garden centers and buying new houseplants so they are being kept busy with a flower in the house before the real work starts in the warmer weather.

The theme for this year’s Boston Flower & Garden Show is First Impressions, which organisers hope will help people showcase ways to express one’s personality and style, as well as adding enjoyment and value for others.

Daily tickets are available for the event from $20, while the senior citizens (65 +) will be admitted for $17 and tickets for children aged between 6 and 17 will be $10.

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