Beautiful gardens begin with a thorough spring clean up!
Spring is for new beginnings, and the best way to do that for your garden is to provide an extensive cleanup. Though the weather in the spring can be somewhat unpredictable, the cleanup that your garden needs for a bountiful growing season is not. If you feel overwhelmed by the tasks, you can always call in the professionals to give you and your garden a hand.
Here is our basic checklist for tidying up your garden areas:
1) Remove protective framing or burlap from your garden trees and shrubs as things start to warm up. Prune away any branches that show signs of winter kill to nurture new growth.
2) Cut back your overwintered ornamental grasses and spent perennials, generally down to 2-3 inches from the ground. If the soil has thawed enough, dig up and divide any over-crowded areas of your garden and transplant into sparser areas.
3) Take care of your beds and borders! Rake out leaves to prevent mold, disease, and smothering of plants. Once the threat of frost has past, old mulch should be removed so that a slow release fertilizer can be added and fresh compost and/or mulch can be applied.
4) Edge your garden borders to discourage grass encroachment and help prevent mower accidents from occurring. Good edging provides your garden with a smooth, finished appearance.
5) Set up a maintenance schedule to help you maintain the plant and soil health of your garden for the rest of the season. Additives like compost or organic fertilizer can keep your soil in nutrient rich health for good perennial production. Keeping up with maintenance over the course of the season will ensure that your blooms keeps blooming, weeds don’t smother out your perennials, and expiring perennials get cut back at the appropriate time.
This list is a good starting point for most garden needs but every garden is different. A professional can make recommendations of care of your garden(s) and the health and beauty of your property. Sometimes this can be the best route to take as then you can simply sit back, relax and enjoy….
If you have any questions please email Monica Collise: gardens@chippersinc.com or visit our website for more information about the green care services we provide: www.chippersinc.com.
