Spring Gardening Top Tips

Just as you engage in a thorough spring cleaning to rejuvenate your home after a lengthy winter, a similar approach can be taken to prepare your garden for the warmer months ahead. If you are a keen gardener, have a read of this article, which has some top tips to help you take charge of all your outdoor tasks like a seasoned professional. You might also like to have a look at our article here on the numerous benefits of gardening for retirees!

Our tips are conveniently organised into early, mid, and late spring tasks, enabling you to pace yourself while readying your flowerbeds, trees, shrubs, and other garden areas for the growing season. By following this guide, you'll ensure that every corner of your landscape receives the attention it deserves before the arrival of summer.

Early Spring

Although the official start of spring is in March, many gardeners rely on weather cues to determine when the season truly begins. Early spring marks the time when temperatures start to rise consistently above freezing, particularly in colder regions.

1. Tidy Up Flowerbeds: Remove any winter debris from soil surfaces where annual flowers and vegetables will be planted. Clear protective winter mulch from around perennials and ornamental grasses, and trim back last year's dried foliage. Remember to wear gardening gloves to protect your hands.
2. Divide Perennials: This is an ideal time to divide many perennials before spring growth begins. Dividing them not only helps expand your garden but also promotes the health of existing plants.
3. Mulch Perennials: Add a fresh layer of mulch around garden beds to enhance the appearance of your garden and help retain soil moisture while preventing weed growth.
4. Prune Trees and Shrubs: If not done in winter, prune fruit trees before buds begin to bloom to avoid stressing the tree and impacting the crop. It's also a suitable time to prune evergreen trees and shrubs.
5. Hardscaping Maintenance: Inspect the stonework for frost heaves, assess the condition of your deck or patio, and perform any necessary repairs. Clean outdoor furniture in preparation for relaxation after a day's work in the garden.
6. Plant Vegetables: Hardy, cool-season vegetables such as potatoes, artichokes, peas, and some lettuces thrive in cool soil and should be planted in early spring, ready for harvest by early summer.

Mid Spring

By mid-spring, your landscape should begin to take shape as bulbs, perennials, shrubs, and trees start growing and possibly blooming. With most clean-up tasks completed, it's time to focus on adding new plants.

1. Clean Bird Feeders: Empty and wash bird feeders if you plan to keep them up year-round, ensuring they are filled with fresh seed.
2. Observe Spring Blooms: Enjoy the blooms of your spring bulbs and take note of any empty spots where you plan to plant bulbs in the autumn.
3. Plant New Perennials and Annuals: Allow freshly planted perennials time to establish before the onset of hot summer weather. Add cool-season annuals like pansies or snapdragons for instant garden colour.
4. Introduce New Trees and Shrubs: Plant new trees and shrubs as soon as the ground is no longer frozen to allow ample time for root growth before summer temperatures set in.
5. Renew Mulch: After planting, apply a fresh layer of mulch around new plants to suppress weed growth and retain soil moisture.

Late Spring

Late spring is the time to clean up spent blooms and focus on planting to fill out your garden.

1. Deadhead Flowering Bulbs: Remove spent blossoms from spring-flowering bulbs to encourage energy storage for next year's blooms. Allow the foliage to wither naturally before removing it.
2. Select Summer Annuals: Choose flats of summer annuals like petunias, impatiens, and zinnias that are not yet in bloom for stronger plants.
3. Start Warm-Season Vegetables: Transplant seedlings of warm-season crops such as tomatoes, peppers, and herbs while harvesting early spring crops like radishes and lettuces.
4. Plant Summer-Blooming Bulbs: Plant summer-blooming bulbs like dahlias and gladiolus once the threat of frost has passed and the soil has warmed up.

Following this spring gardening checklist will ensure your garden stands out as one of the best on the block. While there are ongoing maintenance tasks to tackle each season, completing these early-season tasks will provide you with more time to relax and enjoy your landscape during the summer months.

How can you get involved with gardening at our retirement villages?

Speak to our staff, and they will put you in touch with the on-site gardener. You can get involved as much or as little as you like! To aid residents, we have created communal herb planters at chest height, so they are easy to pick from and residents don’t have to bend down too much to reach them. We are here to help you continue with your current hobby or start this new lovely hobby!

You can read our interview with our Wadswick Green Gardner here for more insight into the gardening at our retirement villages.