Apr 11, 2016 By Suzanne Elliott 3 min read

Even though the weather is hot one moment and cold the next, it really doesn’t matter when you landscape your yard, said Evan Evanovich, a Penn State Horticulturist and Bethel Park landscaper.

“But, you need to make sure you water for a full growing season,” said Evanovich during an April 5 evening program at the Mt. Lebanon Public Library on how to have the picture perfect garden.

Evanovich, who showed the 20 or so attendees slides of several of his before and after landscaping projects in the South Hills, said the beds lines of a garden are important. By having bed lines blend in with the home and existing plants, it will the allusion of a bigger living space, he said.

And deer are everywhere in the South Hills, not just Mt. Lebanon. It is impossible to do a decent landscape with just deer-proof plants, he said.

Because deer tend not too wander much, Evanovich said to use a deer repellent every other day, such as Bobbex Deer Repellent, a topical folliar spray that deters deer, moose and elk. The spray includes putrescent eggs and other proteins, as well as garlic and clove oils. Deer are both frighted and repulsed by the smell.

“The deer will learn to stay away,” Evanovich said.

To avoid and control weeds, it’s important to use mulch properly and put it down each year. But, Evanovch said at least three inches should be placed in order to be effective as a deterrent.

“When you use a colored mulch, you need to make sure everything blends together,” he said.

Also, trim any shrubbery at least once a year and use a fertilizer that has a slower-release formula, he said.

“Fall or spring is a good time to trim,” he said.

Plants will still bloom even if they are trimmed too much, Evanovich told a person in the audience. But, the plants will go into shock if they are cut down too far, especially plants such as forsythias and hydrangeas. Hydrangeas, he said, like sun and partial sun.

“You can’t make a 5-foot plant a 3-foot plant,” he said. “Plants flower because they recycle for reproduction.”

Manure should be used to fertilize perennial plants, such as pachysandra – which is deer resistant – myrtle and ivy, he said. Annuals, on the other hand, can be fertilized with products like Miracle-Gro because they are planted each year.

“It is as good as anything because you want rapid growth,” he said.