I know I am!! Let us help you! Getting your Garden ready since Spring has Sprung can be an exciting time! Here are some tips to help you get a kick start.
Remove Winter Coverings and Pruning
Now that Spring has Sprung first things first, remove protective covering from young or sensitive plants that you had covered over the Winter. Taking down wind breaking burlap, deer fencing, and tree wrappings will help the bark and plant breathe so that on warm days fungus and disease aren’t growing and insects aren’t taking up residence.
Getting Ready for Spring also includes annual pruning which has healthy benefits and keeps plants in shape. There are different pruning tasks to perform for each type of plant. For shrubs and trees it is important to get rid of any dead or diseased limbs. On herbaceous perennials cut back any dead upper growth foliage to make way for new growth. Rose gardeners can prune out any dead canes or canes with signs of canker. Fruit trees should be pruned before the buds swell. Ornamental grasses can be tied and cut back to a few inches. It is important to note that for some flowering shrubs it is best to wait a little while after flowers bloom, so as to not cut off any limbs that would provide flower or fruit formation.
Soil Preparation and Mulching
Prepare your soil if the ground isn’t frozen and is able to be worked by adding compost, manure or a general all-purpose fertilizer. It is also recommended to add a slow release around trees, hedges, and shrubs. Use an acid type rhododendron fertilizer to feed evergreens, conifers, broad leaf evergreens, Rhododendren, and Azalea. Once you start seeing where your plants are coming up, you can dress up the beds with some fresh mulch.
We recommend soft wood mulch that is composted from pine. The one we carry is composted to the correct pH for our local plants, approximately pH 6 throughout. It does not bleach out. It feeds the plants and creates massive root development. It is also beautiful. Come in and check it out. We can show you the results. This is for the plant lovers.
Preparation is Rewarding
Just these few checks on your To Do list will be appreciated once the Late Spring and Summer arrive. There will be healthy, beautiful plants to enjoy and maintain throughout the growing season and for years to come. So go get those hands dirty!
