It seems that April showers were extended into May this year, but a little hard work this month will keep your landscape looking its absolute best throughout the spring and summer season. With the arrival of several gorgeously warm days already, many of us have already started raking, pruning and maybe even planting. But don’t stop there. Here are a few tips to follow this season to prepare your garden for a Spring full of rich color and lush greens. Slap on those garden gloves, it’s time to get that garden growing!The Pretty Stuff: Perennials, Bulbs and Annual
• Plant summer flowering bulbs and annual seeds such as Marigolds and Zinnias
• Resist buying plants that are already in bloom. By the time they are planted in the garden you will miss their peak
• Cut flower stalks back on spring flower bulbs (Hyacinths, Daffodils, etc.), but don’t cut the foliage back until it dies naturally
• Divide perennials. Most perennials can be divided once they have sent up sizeable foliage (at least few inches tall)
The Big Stuff: Trees & Shrubs
• Transplant or make your new planting of trees and shrubs now to allow woody plants to get established before the heat of summer kicks on.
• Prune early flowering shrubs. Such shrubs as Forsythia and Spirea should be pruned after they finish flowering. Otherwise, you will end up pruning off the new buds that bloom in the spring
• Clean up your evergreens. Junipers, conifers, cypress and the like should be trimmed up to remove any deadwood or over growth
**TIP: Don’t prune back evergreens to their bare wood
The Lush Green Lawn
• Have your lawn mower blades sharpened and cleaned to prevent tearing grass tips or introducing disease to the lawn
• Remove sticks, rocks and other debris from the lawn to prevent damaging your mower or injuring yourself
• Aerate to allow for better water penetration
• Remove built up thatch
• Over-seed to fill in the lawn and discourage the growth of moss or weeds
Megan DiPerriMegan DiPerri is a graduate of the University of Maine where she obtained a B.S. in Landscape Horticulture with a focus in business and design. A true plant nerd at heart and secret tree-hugger by night, Megan is dedicated and passionate about the environment. She is always looking to educate others on how going “green” is not only beneficial to the world around us, it’s the new wave of the future.
Her Green Living insights, "Sage Garden," will be featured regularly in future issues of Aetherial Living.
If you enjoy this article, or would like to know more about Megan, please drop her a comment at megan@aetheriaspa.com
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