Don’t attempt to grow plants from seed without investing in grow lights.

Getting close to the time when some of us will be sowing seeds—annuals, vegetables, even perennials—to save money, get a jump on the 2008 season, and most important, start gardening in the warmth and comfort of our homes.

Just don’t make the mistake of starting a few things in trays on top of the refrigerator, then moving them to a sunny window after germination. I don’t care what zone you live in, the little starts you’ll wind up with are not going to be worth transplanting into the garden.

The winter sun just doesn’t have enough power, especially after filtering through glass. If you are going to take the plunge, invest in a simple and inexpensive grow light system, and follow the directions given in this trusty article from the RG archives, Starting Plants from Seed.

Don’t plant a tree for Arbor Day.

It’s not that I have anything against planting trees, it’s just that if every state in America is going to celebrate an Arbor Day, it should be sometime in the fall, the preferred season for tree planting.

I guess we have to blame Nebraska politician Julius Sterling Morton (1832-1902) who proposed the first Arbor Day and honed in on the month of April. On Nebraska’s first Arbor Day, over a million trees were planted. In the years to follow, every state in America followed suit, all of them choosing to celebrate Arbor Day in the springtime for their region.

All very commendable, except for the fact that spring is a rotten time to plant a tree. Trees planted in the spring only have a few months to develop a root system before the onslaught of summer heat. Trees planted in early fall will have a much higher chance of survival, because they have around three months to settle in before slipping into winter dormancy, followed by an additional three or four months of spring root development before the high stress of summer.

So think grand and loving thoughts about the planet this Arbor Day, but wait until fall to plant that tree.

Don’t cut ornamental grasses down at season’s end.

If you prefer to cut your perennials down at the end of the season, as many gardeners do, spare your grasses. Short, mid-sized, or tall, most ornamental grasses overwinter better if left alone in the fall. It may relate to their ancient genealogy, the fact that for centuries they have stood tall in winter dormancy, then burned off in spring by natural prairie fires, or maybe I just made that up.

No matter. My experience and that of others points clearly to the fact that grasses show more vigor in spring if left alone for winter, then cut to the ground about the time you notice buds on trees and shrubs in your yard beginning to swell.

Some short, tufted grasses, particularly Festuca cinerea ‘Elijah Blue’ and the shorter varieties of Carex don’t like being cut back at all. If a grass you grow reaches less than twelve inches at maturity, leave it alone in spring and see if last year’s growth doesn’t simply dissipate as fresh spring growth rises.