Be inspired by  your surroundings. You can see that flowering trees and stone fruit flower bouquets are starting to brighten up the neighborhoods, and the pleasing aroma of citrus is in the air. Yes, you can sense it with your eyes and nose that spring is just right around the corner. With the season upon us, it is also the absolute best time to plant trees, shrubs, cacti, palms - everything you want in your dream landscape. 

Landscape and Garden tips you can use are below!

Plant Everything Now, Before the Temperatures Soar! 

The temperatures will start to soar before we know it, so if you want some cooling shade coverage, plant those shade trees now so that you can go outside and enjoy your yard, after all, baseball season will be here before you know it and playing catch is a must! Do you want to add some vibrant colors to your garden? Plant those flowering shrubs now too. It’s important to plant this time of the year because it gives the roots time to establish before the hot weather arrives.

Control Your Weeds: The old nemesis, weeds. Control the weeds in your yard while they are young and tender, or before they sprout. After all, no one we know likes to pull weeds in the sweltering heat of summer, so remove them before they become established with a pre-emergent. A pre-emergent herbicide works wonders, so be sure to apply it during this time of the year to prevent weeds – remove weeds before they seed!

Fertilizers: With everything in the landscape in growing season, this is the right time to give those trees, shrubs, palms, and other plants a boost with an all-purpose fertilizer from Moon Valley Nurseries. Our fertilizers are formulated to promote vigorous growth and can help your landscape recover from any stresses related to winter. You can purchase fertilizer at all Moon Valley Nurseries locations.

Watering: Yep, the temperatures are rising throughout the Southwest, so it is a good time to adjust your watering schedule. Since spring is almost here and we have had a mild winter, you will want to increase your watering frequency. Be sure to keep watering deeply, and allow time for the soil to dry out between watering. Download our free watering guide to give you more insight on how to better take care of your landscape.

Mulch: It’s warm out, and it is just going to get warmer, so it is a good idea to prepare your landscape with mulch. Why? Because even adding only a few inches of mulch can help keep your soil cool during the hot months and keep the soil warm during colder days.

Pruning: This is an excellent time to finish pruning fruit trees. February is also an excellent time to prune frost-sensitive citrus after spring growth. Begin pruning those beautiful rose bushes in the garden.

Vegetables: Eat what you grow, it’s the healthiest and best alternative to driving to the supermarket! You will want to continue to sow all those cool-season vegetable seeds, which in our area includes beets, carrots, cabbage, peas, and potatoes. It is also the time to keep transplanting artichokes, asparagus, chard, lettuce, and onions.

Garden Crops: Why stop at vegetables? The time to start planting perennial garden crops such as blueberries, blackberries, and grapes is right now!

Our Experts Recommend Planting These Trees This Month

Hong Kong Orchid (Bauhinia blakeana): These trees are sure to add vibrant color to any landscape! We love to use them as a focal point or as the centerpiece in a collection of shrubs. These semi-evergreens bloom showy, deep-red, orchid-shaped flowers that attract hummingbirds and are sure to draw the right attention. Perfect for any tropical landscape or an Asian/Zen-inspired garden. These beautiful trees love full sun exposure and can be an ideal companion to Sago Palms and Indian Hawthorn. Use them as a gorgeous and colorful shade tree!

Evergreen Ash (Fraxinus uhdei): Also, commonly called Shamel Ash, these are a favorite in landscapes from Southern California to low-elevation deserts. Anyone looking for a fast-growing, large-sized shade tree will want to add this classic, large-leaved tree with attractive green foliage. These beauties get bonus points for being simple to grow with minimal pruning and maintenance requirements. Once established, they are extremely drought tolerant so that they are perfect for landscapes in the Southwest. We like to use them as a single accent to shade the hot side of a home or as a shade tree that can provide respite from the blistering sun.

California Pepper (Schinus molle): These are fast-growing evergreen trees that can produce a massive amount of shade – perfect for where we live! These are favorites throughout the Southwest, from San Diego to Nevada and Arizona. Their drought tolerance and their weeping, graceful appearance and interesting exfoliating trunk make them an attractive tree for any yard. Once established, they have very minimal watering needs, so they are an excellent choice for anyone concerned about using up too much water.

Indian Laurel (Ficus nitida) Not available in Las Vegas: We can’t say it enough, if you want to add privacy that’s fit for the stars, nothing beats our Indian Laurel columns! Besides being one of the best trees to block unwanted views, these Ficus trees can grow fast, tall and wide so that they can create a massive umbrella-shaped canopy of shade. Oh yes, you are going to want to have these in your yard come summertime, so be sure to plant them now! Bonus points for their minimal maintenance requirements!

Flowering Pear (Pyrus calleryana): Moon Valley Nurseries offers several varieties of these beautiful deciduous trees - Aristocrat, Bradford, and Chanticleer. A profuse bloomer, in early spring, snow-white blooms can cover the entire tree. Besides being covered in white, the attractive oval-shaped leaves can provide respite from the heat by creating the right amount of shade. As a bonus, the glossy dark green leaves can turn to a rich, purplish red color in the fall!

Purple Leaf Plum (Prunus cerasifera ‘Krauter vesuvius’): These colorful deciduous trees feature dramatic dark purple-black foliage making them an ideal small accent tree for any size yard! Come springtime, showy light pink flowers appear, attracting butterflies and the right kind of attention to your landscape. We like to use them many ways, such as to flank gateways and driveway entries or planting them in an orchard-like setting, where they can create a stylish screen. These are excellent ornamental trees that thrive with full sun exposure.

Roses (Rosa): It’s February, and for all you lovers out there, it’s also when most people celebrate Valentine’s Day. There are many ways to celebrate and not too many things compare to roses for showing feelings of love, affection, and friendship (ok, maybe chocolate). At Moon Valley Nurseries, we carry many different varieties – thousands! Roses can also be used as breathtaking hedge material so you cannot help but fall in love with your landscape. We recommend calling your nearest location for our current varietal and seasonal offerings.

Moon Valley Nurseries is your local one-stop shop for all your landscape needs. Visit us today, and our experts will be glad to assist you with any projects you may have.