Spring is right around the corner, and there is no better time
than now to get your garden ready for the spring season. The following ten tips
will have your garden ready in no time.
1. Pull Weeds - Right now the ground is soft and any weeds
emerging are young and tender. There are many weeds that sprout during the cool
weather. By removing them now, you can prevent their roots from establishing.
Furthermore, pulling weeds now will prevent them from seeding and spreading in
your garden. For best results, use a trowel and loosen the dirt around the
weeds to ensure you get all of the roots.
2. Prune Your Flowering Shrubs - The end of the winter season
is the perfect time to prune shrubs that flower in the summer and fall.
Examples of summer flowering shrubs include hydrangeas, rose of Sharon, crepe
myrtle, butterfly bushes, azaleas, St. Johnsworth, vitex and summer blooming
spirea. All of these examples bloom using the current season's wood, so you do
not need to worry about cutting off any flower buds that were formed at the end
of last seas. Hold off on pruning spring blooming shrubs including lilac, forsythia,
rhododendron and azaleas until after they have bloomed this spring.
3. Fertilize Your Garden - Once the soil thaws, it is time to
apply a granular fertilizer around your perennials, trees and shrubs. For best
results, have your soil tested and use a fertilizer that is specially designed
for your plantings and nutrient needs. One great fertilizer that can help
improve your soils nutrient load is GreenView All Purpose Plant Food according to Outdoor ArtPros. This fertilizer uses organic and natural nutrients to maximize
the blooming and growth potential of your plants. In addition to perennials and
shrubs, GreenView is great for bulbs, roses and annuals. It can be used in
containers as well as in the ground.
4. Look for Damage - Inspect your shrubs and trees for any
signs of damage that may have occurred during the fall and winter. Prune any
broken or damaged branches. Finally, if your evergreens experienced any tip
dieback, snip the dead areas off to help keep your evergreens looking
beautiful.
5. Rake Your Garden - Trim and rake any perennial leaves that
have died back during the winter. Many gardeners do not remove foliage that was
damaged or killed by frost in the fall. Clearing this away will help improve
this year's new foliage growth. When raking your garden, look for any
perennials that have worked their way out of the ground. If any roots are
exposed, tamp them back down and water thoroughly. Top off the mulch around
your plants to get your garden ready for spring.
6. Divide Your Perennials - The best time to divide perennials
is right before new growth appears. Dig up any perennials that have outgrown
their areas and divide them. Once they are divided, replant them immediately
and water thoroughly to help them establish. If you have any excess perennials,
either give them away or add them to the compost pile. Early season perennials
should not be divided in the spring. For these, it is best to wait until after
they have bloomed to divide them. Most gardeners find that spring blooming
perennials are best divided in the early fall.
7. Rake Leaves - During the fall and winter, leaves blow under
trees, perennials and shrubs. Many times, these leaves can be left alone;
however, if they are matted, they should be removed to help sunlight reach the
tender shoots that will be emerging in your garden. If you have any bare spots
in your lawn, patch them using one of GreenView Grass Seed mixtures.
8. Remove Winter Protection - Once the threat of frost has
passed, it is time to remove any protective winter materials that you have
placed around your plants. Additionally, if your trees have been in the ground
longer than a year, you can remove any staking around your trees.
9. Prevent Spring and Summer Problems - GreenView's Crabgrass
Control Plus Lawn Food along with a granular weed preventer like Preen Garden
Weed Preventer helps to keep your lawn and garden beds looking beautiful.
GreenView's Crabgrass Control Plus should be applied when any dandelions in
your lawn are blooming. Preen Garden Weed Preventer should be applied when
forsythia bushes are blooming. GreenView also offers a Fairway Formula Spring
Fertilizer Weed and Feed with Crabgrass Preventer. This formula kills weeds,
fertilizes your lawn and prevents new weeds in one easy to use application.
10. Edge Beds - The end of the winter is the perfect time to
edge your garden. Edging your beds neatens the landscape and creates a lip to
help keep your mulch in place throughout the growing season.
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