From maintaining residential landscapes to managing commercial properties and public parks, our industry’s expertise includes spring clean-up. While spring in the Midwest officially begins in mid-March, the season kicks off at Loma Vista Nursery in mid-February. By early May, we are welcoming blooms and shipping plants.
Spring clean-up on the nursery includes all the usual tasks you would expect – as well as preparing plants for shipment to trade customers in advance of their retail and landscape rush. Spring arrives at Loma Vista Nursery when the plastic sheeting we use for winter crop protection begins coming off our perennial hoop houses.
Weather Protection Measures
The process begins in phases, rather than all at once, with each step occurring as ambient temperatures dictate. Beginning in mid-fall, Loma Vista Nursery’s hoop houses, which protect shrubs and perennials, are covered for the winter months with sheets of both clear and white heavy-duty plastic. The latter protects plants from winter’s frigid temperatures and weather elements.
White plastic is removed once ambient temperatures are consistently at 50 to 60 degrees and overnight lows are above freezing for at least two weeks. When the white plastic is removed, the clear plastic stays on the perennial houses. That’s because perennials are more delicate than shrubs and the clear plastic provides protection from weather elements while allowing in sunlight. This promotes plant growth in early spring.
Every Season in One Day
Having an eye on outdoor temperatures in Kansas can be deceiving, though. We joke that they fluctuate so much you can experience every season in one day. During the winter and early spring, it could snow in the morning but ambient daytime temperatures could rise to 60 degrees. Temperature swings like this make it challenging to time the plastic’s removal.
As plastic is removed, we keep a close eye on ambient lows to make sure we can get plants covered if they need protection from colder air or weather elements. When temperatures fall below 30 degrees, we protect plants with frost blankets. Once ambient temperatures stabilize, we permanently remove them for the season.
Quality Checks and Scouting
To prepare for winter, we jam plants together. As spring progresses, we space them apart. Spacing is important because it allows plants to branch out as they grow. It also enables us to see each plant, which helps with quality checks and scouting.
Another step in preparing for our spring shipping season is fertilizing. We do so as needed during the first few months of spring.
Early Spring Fertilization
Loma Vista Nursery uses a granular fertilizer applied through a nozzle dispenser. Fertilizing is an important part of the process because it helps feed the plants at important times during their growth process.
We start the process on plant material in early February, beginning with plants inside our larger overwintering houses. We proceed with our pot-in-pot trees and then with evergreens outside.
Once the plastic is entirely off the hoop houses, usually around late April, we begin applying a dry herbicide to our plant crops. This ensures they are weed-free for our customers.
Learn More About Loma Vista Nursery and Our Landscape Plants
Loma Vista Nursery expertly grows a variety of perennials, trees and shrubs for Midwest independent garden centers, landscape contractors and wholesale distributors. We are currently taking professional trade orders.
Click here for our container order form. Click here for our in-ground tree order form. Visit our plant catalog for more information about Loma Vista Nursery grown perennial plants, trees and shrubs – all ideal for Midwest landscapes.
Review our website to learn about our values and best-practices as a Midwest plant grower.
Our staff members are experts in the field who love helping people learn and understand more about plants. To get help with your orders and answers to plant-related questions, send an email to sales@lomavistanursery.com or call (785) 229-7200.
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