You may have already started spring cleaning your home, but don’t forget to do the same to your garden too! Early spring, once pollinators have finished overwintering in plant debris but before new growth really gets going, is the perfect time to give your garden a little spruce up, ensuring a fantastic growing season ahead. Here’s how to do just that:
Remove Dead Annuals and Weeds
Leaving dead annuals in your garden over the winter provides a safe habitat for overwintering animals. However, come spring, it’s time to move these out, along with any weeds that may have started emerging.
This is also a great time of year to get a new compost heap going, starting with all of those annuals and weeds you’ve just pulled out.
Re-Mulch Your Garden Trees and Shrubs
Hopefully, you’re familiar with the benefits of mulching. If you’re not, spend some time looking into this – it’s truly a game-changer.
Now that spring is on its way, it’s time to give your garden trees and shrubs a fresh layer of mulch. Wait until temperatures warm up a little – 10°C is ideal. This will ensure that you don’t end up trapping cold air into the soil.
No matter the type of garden trees you have, whether they may be fruit trees or an evergreen Dragon Tree, a mulch helps in so many ways. Don’t forget to also mulch any potted trees and plants that you have.
Prune Perennial Shrubs and Suitable Trees
Once your perennial shrubs begin to show signs of new growth for the year, you can start to snip away any dead growth from the previous year. Many plants do better when pruned in the spring, as this saves them from dealing with winter damage. However, you’ll need to wait until you’ve had your last spring frost before doing this.
Trees are a little tricker – some are best pruned in the winter, while others, such as avocado trees and olive trees, are best done in the spring. Do a little research into the garden trees that you have to make sure that you’re pruning them at the right time, and in the right way.
Fertilise Evergreen Trees and Shrubs
From Yuccas to Grass Trees, people love evergreens because of how they remain lush and leafy throughout the winter. However, during this time, they’re not actually growing – just like deciduous trees that lose their leaves, evergreens also go into a period of dormancy.
The arrival of spring kicks these trees back into gear, with growth restarting for the year. This makes spring the perfect time to give your evergreen trees and shrubs a little feed – it’ll set them up for the year with all of the nutrients that they need, keeping them strong and healthy.
You have plenty of options when choosing a fertiliser, but make sure that you pick one that’s suitable for evergreens. Alternatively, an organic fertiliser, such as liquid seaweed, usually works well on all garden trees and plants.
Summary
While many dread having to spring clean their house, spring cleaning a garden is usually much more enjoyable! It signals the start of the warmer season, giving you the opportunity to nurture and shape your garden to prepare it for the year ahead.