Health & Fitness
Garden Renewal Will Be The Goal This Season
The hot dry summer of 2012 took its toll on lawns, gardens, trees, and shrubs. Now is a great time to plan for the upcoming season and any needed garden renewal.
The hot dry summer of 2012 took its toll on lawns, gardens, trees, and shrubs. Now is a great time to plan for the upcoming season and any needed garden renewal. Start a list, mark your calendar, and work your way to a beautiful landscape.
Prune summer flowering shrubs like potentilla, spirea, and snowball hydrangeas after the worst of winter weather has past, but before growth begins. Wait to prune lilacs, forsythia, and other spring flowering shrubs until right after they flower.
Enjoy the tulips, crocus, and other spring flowering bulbs. Apply a natural repellent, like Messina Animal Stopper, to protect the blooms from hungry animals. Make a list and mark your fall calendar for new additions you want to make next fall.
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Refresh existing or spread a two inch layer of mulch on the soil surrounding trees and shrubs. Make sure to keep the mulch away from the trunk of the trees and off the crown of the shrubs. Use woodchips, shredded bark, or other organic matter to conserve moisture, suppress weeds and protect plants from weed whips and mower damage.
Improve the soil before replacing perennials and renovating planting beds. Start as soon as the snow disappears and the soil is workable. Adding several inches of organic matter to the top 6 to 12 inches of soil will create a strong foundation for deeply rooted drought tolerant healthy plants.
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Overseed thin lawns and reseed bare spots in the lawn in early to mid May. Be sure to keep the soil moist until the new grass begins to grow. Then gradually reduce watering frequency. Water thoroughly and when the top few inches are crumbly and moist to encourage deep drought tolerant roots.
Wait until Memorial Day to fertilize lawns with a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer like Milorganite. You’ll help lawns prepare for summer, but eliminate the risk of burning if we experience another summer drought.
Convert grass to new or expanded planting beds. Use a sodcutter to remove the existing grass and amend the soil with compost, peatmoss, or aged manure. Use the sod to repair bare areas in the lawn or place on the compost pile, green side down, to decompose.
Or cut the grass short and cover with several layers of newspaper or a single layer of cardboard. Cover with 6 inches of a blended topsoil to create a raised bed. Or cover the newspaper or cardboard with an organic mulch. Cut through the mulch for planting or allow the grass and paper to decompose and plant your perennials in late summer.
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I hope to see you this spring. Happy gardening!