Seasonal Gardening

Because every garden is a work-in-progress, it's a good idea to have an overall plan of what to do in your garden and when. Each season, there are different plants that will thrive, as well as different maintenance requirements for your garden. With some garden tasks, such as pruning, timing is vital.

With spring approaching there are several things you can do in your garden to get it ready for a plentiful growing season.

• Early spring is the perfect time to start winter cleanup by removing debris and weeds from planting beds and lawns.
• As the weather warms weed growth will be in full swing so keep on top of weeding by pulling them up when they first appear. Weeding is one of the most important and regular garden chores.
• As soon as the soil is workable start preparing for planting by applying time-release fertilizers and several inches of good quality compost. It’s also important to be vigilant about slug and snail control.
• Apply dormant oil sprays to fruit trees before they leaf out to control scale insects and other winter pests.
• Aerate your lawn to open the soil so that water and nutrients can penetrate the roots. Re-seed bare spots and fertilize with a weed and feed fertilizer.
• As the weather warms, you can remove winter mulches to make room for new plants.
• Cut back stems and twiggy growth from last year’s perennials and divide overgrown perennials to reuse in other areas of the garden.
• Cut back woody plants and shrubs.

Web Resources

• Spring Garden Checklist from BHG
  Wondering what to do in your garden now that the weather is warming up? Check out Better Homes and Garden’s "Spring Gardening Checklist" which tells you all the things you should be doing in your garden in early, mid and late spring.
• How To Divide Perennials from Perennials.com
  Most perennials benefit from being divided after they’ve been growing for a number of years and spring is a great time to do it. This guide will tell you which perennials will benefit, and how to divide them.
• Spring Planting Tips from the American Horticultural Society
  A few spring tips from the experts including how to start annuals from seed, caring for you perennials and pruning your early blooming shrubs.