Gardening in the spring requires prep work. Everyone loves pretty flowers and a garden that shines! What they don't like is the chores and hard work it takes to keep a garden thriving. Early spring gardening is all about preparation. You can't have a garden party with tons of guests without a plan. The same goes for your garden!
There are many tasks that need to be performed to clean up your gardens. They include assessing damage from the winter, filling in holes with topsoil in your landscaping & yard, weed & feed your lawn, prune back shrubs, perennials & broken limbs, make new beds, plant from bare-root or container-grown plants, fertilize plants with a balanced fertilizer, add a layer of mulch, and make sure all drip lines are working appropriately.
The first task is to take stock of your yard. Trees should be surveyed and all broken limbs should be removed. If limbs are large or are close to buildings, call a local arborist to remove. Perennials should be cut back and foliage tossed or put in compost pile. Garden beds should be raked to remove all debris i.e.-leaves, trash, sticks... Mulch should be applied at no more than 2 inch depth. If you have a build up of mulch, old mulch will need to be removed. Always remember too much mulch can be harmful to plants, as well as no mulch at all. Lastly, look over all hardscape areas such as arbors, decks, patios, pathways and sidewalks for any damage that needs to be repaired. Don't forget to clean & disinfect bird feeders and Baths with 2 gallons of water and a 1/4 of cup of bleach.
Now that your garden is prepped, the fun begins. If perennials are to big, it's a great time to divide and transplant. Just remember it is best to transplant any perennial in the opposite season of their blooming cycle. Deciduous shrubs can be moved at almost anytime of the year. Evergreen shrubs are best transplanted in early spring before new growth appears or in early Fall which gives their roots time to establish. Also, make sure all vines and perennials that require support or trellises are intake. For example, peonies are already popping up. It is much easier to add supports now, then later.
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