Spring Cleanup for the Growing Season

It’s time for a bit of spring cleaning. No, I’m not talking about organizing closets and emptying the garage, but rather getting the garden in shape for the upcoming growing season.

Start with a walk through the landscape.  Make a note of pruning, mulch removal, winter repair and other spring tasks that can now be completed. Investing time early in the season means you’ll have a healthier beautiful garden and more time to relax and enjoy it throughout the summer.

Cut back perennials and sub-shrubs like Russian sage and butterfly bushes with hand pruners. Break out the loppers for those larger and harder to reach stems. Use an electric hedge shear or weed whip with a rigid plastic blade for mass plantings of perennials and grasses. Compost all pest- and herbicide-free materials.

Mark the location of late emerging perennials like butterfly weed and hardy hibiscus. This will prevent you from accidently weeding them out of the garden.

A bit more information: Prune summer and fall blooming shrubs like potentilla, summer blooming spireas and Annabelle-type hydrangeas now until growth begins.  Wait to prune spring flowering shrubs like forsythia and lilac until right after their spring blossoms fade.

Tags

butterfly-bush spirea maintenance russian-sage potentilla butterfly-weed hardy-hibiscus smooth-hydrangea

Related

Audio

4 Tips for Selecting the Best Plants for Your Garden

Audio

Turn Milkweed Pods into Gifts and Decorations

Audio

Don’t Wrap Tree Trunks When Planting or Preparing for Winter

Audio

Design with Maintenance in Mind

Audio

Pinching Indoor and Outdoor Plants into Beautiful Specimens

Audio

Fall and Winter Care for Ornamental Grasses

Audio

Summer Blooming Hydrangeas

Audio

Basic Tools for the Garden

Audio

Design Strategies for a Low Maintenance Landscape

Audio

Plants for the Wine and Plant Enthusiasts

• « Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• ...
• 25
• 26
• Next »