Spring Gardening: Garden care ideas from Wilmette’s Chalet Nursery professional Jennifer Brennan

WILMETTE, IL (WLS) – When the weather warms up, it’s time for homeowners to focus on their lawns and gardens.

Jennifer Brennan from Chalet Nursery in Wilmette is an expert on flowers, plants and lawns.

“The lawn is all green and that means the grass has woken up and all the forsythia is in bloom out there, and that’s the sign that you need the fertilizer on your lawn,” Brennan said.

The first thing you need is a pre-emergence weed control

“They’ll be treating your lawn with a systemic fungicide the first week of May to prevent these stains from appearing in July and August,” Brennan said.

Deer and rabbits may look cute, but they’re not very plant-friendly.

There are several repellants on the market that do not kill animals.

Brennan recommends the Liquid Zaun Company’s Dual Action Rabbit Repellent, among others.

It contains cinnamon and capsaicin, which are irritating to the animal’s mouth.

“It kind of burns their mouth, like burning your mouth eating a habanian pepper, and they go somewhere else,” Brennan said.

Brennan recommends buying these repellants now so the animals don’t come back.

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