Experts advise gardening caution

CMI photo: Tonjia Rolan Charles Guthals of Guthals Nursery in Clovis prepares a Cleveland pear tree for spring planting.

With spring just days away and temperatures hitting the mid-80s this week, area residents may be anxious to start greening up lawns and planting gardens.

Local lawn and garden experts urged gardeners not to get in a hurry and advised those itching to get outside to put their energy into preparatory work, until the danger of frost is over.

We asked three local experts, Mike Hamilton, owner of Hamilton Nursery and Landscape, Charles Guthals, owner of Guthals Nursery, Landscaping, Sprinklers and Holiday Lighting, and Curt Jaynes, owner of Gardensource Nursery and Lansdcaping in Portales, to give us their best spring lawn and gardening tips.

Hamilton warned against planting hothouse plants too early.

“The plants are grown with heaters and kept at a constant 70 degrees,” Hamilton said. “They don’t do well when it’s still 40 degrees at night.”