Hort shorts
- Apply a layer of pine needles or straw to strawberry plants when spring growth begins.
- Resist the urge to till the soil too early in spring. Manipulating wet ground compacts the soil, making it more hostile to root growth and less likely to drain well. If it balls in your hand, it’s too wet. Also avoid walking on garden beds and dividing plants until the soil is drier.
- Crazy about one kind of plant? Joining a plant society is a way to keep up with new varieties and network with other fans. Associations cater to rose lovers, orchid fanciers, pond keepers and tropical plant collectors, to name a few. Visit www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/
hortinternet/associations.html for links to many of these groups.