Prepare your garden for a beautiful spring
Still too cold for gardening? Now is the perfect time to do a little planning and preparation for the busy growing season ahead. You know that point in late winter when you think the cold weather will never end? Spring fever is hitting and you can't wait to enjoy your garden in the sun again. The landscape may still look dull, but visions of colorful tulips and daffodils and fresh green grass dance through your head. Although it's too early to plant (check your area's last spring frost date), there's plenty of gardening work you can do before the weather warms. Before everything starts growing again, check each of these five things off your to-do list and prepare for your perfect spring garden.
1. Celebrate early bloomers
Some plants such as crocus, hellebore, and camellia bloom very late in winter. If you have any of these early blooming flowers in your yard, take advantage of them. Remove any debris, such as last year's dead leaves or twigs, that may obscure the flowers from view. Try placing a few colorful flowers in a vase inside if it's too cold to enjoy them outside or you can't see them from the window. If you don't have any winter-blooming plants, take a walk around your neighborhood to get ideas of what you can plant for some early color to tide you over until spring rolls around.
2. Start the seeds
Start your spring garden by starting seeds indoors. You can sprout many types of vegetables, herbs, and annual flowers from seed 6-8 weeks before your last frost date. It's a great way to try amazing varieties you won't find at the garden center. Plus, watching your little seedlings grow when it's cold and dreary is a great mood booster.
3. Prune your shrubs
If you live in a cold climate where hardy plants go dormant, late winter is a good time to prune your shrubs before spring growth begins. When the branches are still bare, it's easy to see what you're doing. Pay attention to dead, broken or crossing stems first, then shape the overall plant to your liking. Frequent pruning will encourage your shrubs to produce lots of new stems once they start growing again in the spring.
Many common landscape shrubs benefit from late winter pruning, including most roses, red twig dogwood, spirea, juniper, yew, and viburnum. Avoid trimming flowering shrubs in early spring or you won't get flowers this year. Wait for these plants to bloom before making your cuts.
4. Prepare your containers
Even after the warm weather arrives in spring, it can take a while for your garden plants to bloom. However, a few well-placed containers will quickly put colors where you need them. Even if there's still snow on the ground, you can pull your planters out (or store them in pretty new containers) and fill them with potting soil. That way, you'll be ready to add plants when pansies and other cool-season annuals arrive at your garden center or grocery store.
5. Review your spring garden checklist
When spring finally arrives, you'll have your hands' full planting, weeding, watering, mowing, and more. Before your outdoor to-do list overflows, check out this spring gardening checklist. Make sure you have all the tools and materials you need. A little preparation now goes a long way to making the most of the growing season.
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