After the cold snap of February, the balmy days are driving the gardeners crazy with planters’ fever – just check out any local nursery if you have any doubts. But is it too soon to be planting and pruning? When is it safe? Early March can be too soon to prune, says Tisha, a Florida Master Gardener who lives in Lake Sarasota. A plant that’s been cut back too early might suffer injury if another cold spell hits. “It is not a good idea to prune the dead or dying leaves/branches from the cold until you see green growth in the spring,” Tisha said. “Be careful when pruning flowering shrubs such as azaleas,” she added – “wait until they finish flowering.” Other fall flowering shrubs that are pruned to promote new include hibiscus, thryallis and plumbago. Mid-March is probably when this area of Florida is safely out of danger from cold. It’s also a good time to plant annuals like Ageratum, Gazania, Geraniums and Nicotiana. The nurseries have these and many more, says Tisha...
