The snow has melted and the shovels have been put away. As you look around your yard and garden you may see a big, ugly, brown mess. Now’s the time to start planning your summer garden and preparing your yard for the next season. It may seem like a daunting task as you look around. Where do you start? By following these simple steps you’ll have your garden and yard ready in no time and you’ll get to enjoy sitting outside during long warm summer days.
If you’re starting your garden from scratch draw up a plan of the space and decide what you want to plant where before going to the garden centre. Doing this beforehand will save you time and money. Also, shop around for the best quality flowers and plants at the best price. You might not find everything you need at one garden centre so plan ahead and know where the good values are.
Do some reading on the types of plants and flowers that will thrive in your area. Also look at your garden and find out where you get the most sun and the most shade. This will be a factor in the types of plants that you put in certain areas. Try to avoid getting all annuals as you will create more work for yourself every year. Annuals are great for adding colour to your garden may require a lot of maintenance so chose some nice perennials and shrubs as well to fill the space.
Before planting make sure you are well into spring. Annuals will not survive a frost so wait long enough to know that the temperature won’t drop below freezing before you start planting. Once the danger of a frost is over, start planting your annuals. By following these steps to planting you will ensure that your garden is full of beautiful plants and flowers all summer long.
- Dig a hole a little deeper and wider than the plants root ball and back fill the hole with a small amount of loose dirt.
- Gently remove the plant from the pack that it came in and massage the roots gently to break up their compact growing patter.
- Place the plant in the hole and fill with water and fertilizer.
- Cut the plant back by one third and make sure to cut off any blossoms that are already on the plant. This will allow the plant to establish itself in your soil before spending all its energy on growing new buds and flowers.
Good soil makes a huge difference to how your garden will look and grow. Soil is the combination of sand, clay and organic matter. The correct mixture of clay and sand will allow enough water to stay around the plant while the rest drains away preventing root rot. Adding compost to soil will solve almost any garden soil problem and the compost is an excellent source of nutrients for plants.
To get your garden and your soil ready for spring planting you’ll first have to clean up and remove all loose debris. Rake up and leaves and small twigs and get some top soil, compost or fertilizer to prepare the soil for planting. Don’t forget to clean out any garden props like bird baths and bird feeders. The stagnant water can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Finally get out your garden and patio furniture and give it a clean so it’s ready to use. Before you know it you’ll be sitting outside enjoying your beautiful space.
