TREE AND SHRUBSLeaf it to me

Getting Your Garden Ready in the Spring

Spring is a time for preparing the yard for the coming season. If you want to have a beautiful and fruitful yard and garden you need to start working on it as soon as the weather permits. You don’t want the leaves and decaying plants from last fall to hinder the new growth of the spring flowers!

The first thing you will want to do is remove all the debris from your yard. Even if you took care to make sure all the leaves and dead plants were taken care of last fall, there are a few that seem to show up during the winter. Those last leaves that don’t fall until the snow flies, debris that may have blown into your yard during a storm, all of these things need to be removed.

Use a small hand tiller or rake to remove leaves and other garden waste from around shrubs and flower beds. You can also use the hand tiller to gently loosen the top layer of soil so that the ground can breathe. Take care around areas where you have planted bulbs so you don’t disturb the tender shoots.

Take a look at your lawn. Is there a buildup of thatch? If so, you will need to rent a power rake or hire someone to de-thatch your lawn. You may also want to consider having your lawn aerated, especially if you have a creeping grass such as Bermuda or Kentucky Blue. Even if you don’t have a buildup of thatch, it is a good idea to give your lawn a good raking in the spring. Raking will allow you to remove any grass that has died over the winter, fluff up compacted areas, and identify areas that may need reseeding.

After you have raked, de-thatched or aerated your lawn, apply a spring fertilizer. Most experts recommend a light fertilizer in the spring and you can find fertilizers that a specifically formulated for spring use. Check with your local garden center to find the one that is right for your area.

Prune if needed. Many shrubs and trees benefit from a spring pruning, but make sure you know the requirements of your plants. Blossoming shrubs that bloom on old wood should be pruned after they blossom. Lilacs are a good example of this type of shrub. They bloom on the wood that grew during the last growing season. So, if you pruned a lilac bush in the fall or early spring, you won’t get any blossoms. Shrubs like rose bushes bloom on new wood and benefit from a good pruning in the spring. A rose bush will have more healthy blossoms if you remove about one third of the bush in the spring.

Springtime is a time of renewal and new life. By spending a little time preparing your yard as the days get warmer, you will have a beautiful and bountiful garden all summer long.

About the Author

Piper is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family and being outside. She loves to spend time in the yard and uses a mulching lawn mower to keep her lawn healthy. She enjoys nature, reading and most of all gardening! She loves to tell others about the advantages of a small tiller to make working in the garden a breeze!

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