Get Your Garden Spring-Ready

Ready, Set, Almost Spring! No matter which zone you call home, the time is right to start priming your garden for warmer weather! After the winter—especially if you live in a place with a cold season that brings heavy wind, rains, or snow—your garden will demand some extra attention, so take advantage of the waning winter days and show it some pre-planting TLC. Below, my five favorite tips that will get your garden going just in time for spring!    

1.     Give it a pre-spring clean! Grab some gloves, and walk your beds—don’t forget the lawn!—to pick up any pine cones, fallen branches, and leaves. While you’re out collecting clutter, take a look at your beds’ mulch levels. Too much mulch can suffocate your plants, so remove or replace as necessary. 

2.     Cut back your crops! Go ahead and prune all trees and shrubs except for spring-blooming ones. This is the time of year that I always prune my limelight hydrangeas! My basic rule of thumb: If a plant flowers before mid-June, prune it after spring and after it flowers. Now is not the time to prune azaleas or anything else that blossoms in early spring—wait until they are done blooming! 

1.     Feed with fertilizer! As new growth starts to peek through, examine your plantings and fertilize your beds. A few of my favorites are azalea fertilizer and all-purpose organic Nelson plant food.

2.     It’s never too early to start weeding! I like to do this after a good rain, because the soft soil makes it so much easier to pull up the weeds. Use a pre-emergent in the beds to help keep the weeds away. It will make your job much more manageable this spring and summer. 

3.     Clip and clean perennials! Remove any old and dead branches and leaves so your perennials can focus all their energy on new growth. 

By working in these five sure suggestions, you can give your garden the love it needs now—and enjoy prim and pretty beds when the weather warms up!