Longer days and warmer temperatures are a sure sign of spring and also that it's time to clean out your flower beds for a more beautiful garden throughout the months ahead. Here are 10 tips from our friends at Riverview Gardens & Gifts:
- Remove Annuals – Annuals – such as petunias, impatiens, marigolds, etc. - are plants that only last one season. If you didn't remove dead annuals in the fall, do so now.
- Trim Perennials – Perennials come back year after year. Most perennials – such as hostas, daisies and peonies – die back to the ground during the winter. Trim back the dead foliage to allow new growth.
- Cut Back Grasses – Many people like to leave ornamental grasses in their gardens throughout the winter to provide shelter for birds and small animals. Remove last year’s dead foliage now, before new shoots begin to grow.
- Prune and Fertilize Evergreen Plants – An application of Espoma granular food to acid-loving plants – such as azaleas and rhododendron – can improve plant health and growth. Other evergreens benefit from a granular fertilizer such as a 10-10-10 mixture. Sprinkle a line of fertilizer on the ground around the plant's drip edge, and rain will help the soil soak it up.
- Divide and Transplant – Many perennials – such as coneflowers, hostas and daylilies – benefit from being divided every few years. Dividing helps keep plants healthy and provides a great source of free plants. Spring is a great time to divide – before plants get too large. Use a shovel to cut the perennial mass into smaller pieces, replant and water immediately and throughout the summer.
- Weed and Mulch Beds – Pull weeds and put down a layer of mulch to help prevent new weed growth. Mulch helps retain moisture, protect roots, improve soil fertility and enhances aesthetic appeal. We recommend no more than two inches of single or double ground hardwood mulch, keeping it away from plants bases.
- Edge Beds: Edging makes for a crisp line along the border of a landscape bed, creating contrast between the bed and pathway or yard. Use a shovel to define the edge of your bed or install aluminum, plastic, paver, brick or stone edging.
- Start a Compost Pile: Composting is simple, helps reduce your contribution to the landfill, and will – in time – provide free fertilizer. Place cuttings and other organic materials, such as eggshells and coffee grounds, in a pile. NEVER put weeds in your compost pile.
- Spring Rose Care – Shape shrub roses, like Knockout Roses, in the spring. Teas and Floribundas, if not cut back in the fall, should be cut above the second bud from the bottom.
- Spring Hydrangea Care – Many gardeners are perplexed by how to prune hydrangeas. Some varieties should be pruned immediately after flowering and others in early spring. If you aren't sure which type you have, we recommend waiting until the new leaves start to grow and then gently trimming the dead growth above the last new leaf.
Now, sit back and enjoy your beautiful garden!
Riverview Garden & Gifts, located at 3049 Pricetown Rd., Temple, has everything you need and more than you can imagine to bring out the best in your garden and home. 610.929.5049 riverviewtree.com
