This can be one of the most exciting parts of spring. Time
for color and sweet smells! Gardening is cheaper than therapy, plus you get
beautiful flowers so why not start now! SaneWomen wants you to have the perfect
garden. Follow the steps below to get the best-looking garden on the block!
Start with the Yard:
To start the process of gardening, first check out the areas
around your garden to ensure they are prepped too. Look for a tree limbs or
shrubs that may need a little attention. Remove dead tree limbs or hire a
certified Arborist to maintain the large branches.
Out With the Old:
Rake away winter mulch or leftover mulch left over from
previous seasons. Do this before or as plants begin to grow and you are in the
clear from winter temperatures.
Clip, Clip, Clip…
Get damaged, diseased, or dead branches out of the way. Trim
summer-blooming shrubs such as hydrangea, butterfly bush, potentilla, and most
roses. Prune spring-booming shrubs and trees after they flower. Everyone needs a little haircut every once in
a while.
Wondering about that
soil on the ground? Just don’t ruin your mani!
Take a soil test. Use a soil pH home soil test kit to check
your soil. Take a few samples from different areas to get the most accurate
reading. Enrich soil where you need it most.
Get Out of Here Pesky
Weeds!
We all dread pulling weeds, but to get a great garden it’s a
must. The best time to pull weeds is when they are small. They are less work to
get out of the ground and if you get them before they seed, in the future
you’ll have less. Also, I would highly recommend hiring a professional to help
with this task! You don’t want a sore back all the time from this chore!
Organize Your Space &
Prepare the Beds:
Its best to plan where you will be planting certain flowers
or plants, before you dig into the dirt. Clean up the planting area, work in
soil; remove weeds, sod, and debris. Spread a new mulch layer about 4-inches or
layer of compost about 2-inches over soil. Capture you garden plan with a
picture to remember what it looks like.
It’s Time for the Fun
Part!
Early spring cool conditions are the perfect time to plant
trees and shrubs. Cool season annuals such as poppies, snapdragons, pansies,
and violas can usually handle a little frost and give you some color yet when
the summer heat comes full force replace them with heat-tolerate flowers like
pentas, petunia, and lantanas to ensure color throughout the summer. If you
started planting a little early by growing plants from seeds or if you have
container-grown plants they can be transplanted during growing season besides
midsummer. Be sure to remember to water
and take lots of pictures to post to social media! You will want to be showing
off your garden this summer!
