Clean up garden as new growth will soon appear

Finish cutting back perennials and cleaning up garden debris this month. Cut back perennials before they start growing to minimize any possible damage to the new growth.

It can be hard to see new growth on ornamental grasses, so be sure to cut them back before consistent warm weather sets in later in the month. If the weather warms up and the grasses are growing, cut them to a few inches above the ground to avoid the new shoots. Be careful of any bulbs that have started growing.

• Gently press back any perennials that have heaved out of the ground over winter. There is a greater chance of frost heaving in late March and early to mid-April. The freeze-thaw cycle in spring can push recently installed plants out of the ground if they were not mulched the previous year.

I prefer to stay out of the garden when soil conditions are wet to minimize soil compaction.

• Begin uncovering hybrid roses in early April by carefully removing mulch from the base. A pitchfork works well for this task. Leave a small amount of mulch at the base for protection in case of a late hard freeze.

Prune roses back to live growth, which in some years may leave only 1 to 2 inches of stem.

• Protect emerging tulips from deer and rabbit damage by spraying with a repellent or covering with netting. Repellents should be reapplied after a rain.

Netting should be adjusted as bulbs grow and may need to be weighted down to keep it from blowing away.

Animals do not typically eat daffodils, Siberian squill or ornamental onions.

• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.