Spring Awakening: What Your Landscape Needs Now

From pruning to planting, and everything in between—here are the top tasks you need to do to revive your landscape for the year!

 

 

The familiar scents are in the air, and the surge of spring is calling us outside. Everything is set to awaken, including your landscape. You can help bring it to life by pruning, planting, mulching, and preparing it for the growing season. Here’s a list of activities to do right now!

 

Wait for the Insects to Emerge 

If you want your landscape to awaken to its fullest potential in the spring, the first thing to do is wait until the insects emerge. They hibernate over the winter in the leaf litter, hollow plant stalks, and upper layer of soil and emerge when daytime temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees. That’s already happened here in Pennsylvania, so if you’ve waited to clean up, your garden will benefit from natural pest control and pollination from friendly insects like ladybugs, lacewings, bees, and hoverflies.

 

Prune Shrubs, Hedges, and Trees 

Prune your shrubs to your desired size and shape before they come out of dormancy and remove any dead and diseased branches. Keep in mind that some shrubs, like azalea, forsythia and lilac, set their blossoms last summer, so wait until those flower before you prune them. Also, keep an eye open for any chrysalises in your landscape, and leave them be until the butterflies emerge. There’s no need to disturb their slumber!

 

Cut Back and Rake 

Once the insects emerge from your landscape, you can rake up any debris and prune away the growth of last year’s perennials. You may want to keep the leaf litter as mulch for your gardens or mix it into the compost pile. It’s also wise to leave a few hollow stems on perennials for insect habitat throughout the growing season. The new spring growth will soon hide the stems from view.  

 

Revitalize Your Soil 

With the leaves raked aside, it’s time to replenish your soil with a layer of compost or aged manure. Some gardeners choose to work it into the soil with a garden fork. Increasingly, many see the value of avoiding tillage and leaving the soil structure intact; that way, all of the earthworms, beetles, and microorganisms in your soil will mix the compost into the soil.

 

Sow Your Cold Season Crops 

Late March into early April are ideal times to start sowing your cold season vegetables outside. That includes lettuce, carrots, beets, cabbage, collards, swiss chard, peas, radishes, kale, turnips, onions, bok choy, spinach, dill, parsley, thyme, oregano, and rosemary. If you get all of these delicious crops in the ground now, you’ll be enjoying fresh salads by June!

 

Mulch Your Garden 

Spring is the perfect time to put a fresh layer of mulch on your landscapes. If the bark mulch on perennial beds looks tired or has broken down over the last year, bring in another few inches of mulch for a refresh. If you have any exposed soil in your vegetable plot, protect it from the sun and prevent weeds with a thin layer of leaves, salt hay, or unsprayed lawn clippings.

 

Plan Your Garden 

Now is the time to plan and imagine the garden you want to have this year. Consider spots where you want to plant any new perennials, trees, or shrubs, plant your crops in the vegetable garden to have a continuous harvest throughout the summer months, and look at your entire landscape to imagine areas where you want any new garden beds or leisure areas. There are no wrong answers while brainstorming, so get creative! If you need some guidance to bring your visions to life, our Garden Coach, Tom Horn, is available to help you brainstorm ideas and troubleshoot any challenges. 

Prepare Your Tools and Clean Your Pots 

Spring is also time to clean out pots, sharpen spades, sharpen lawn mower blades, and repair any tools, so everything is clean and functional for the busy year ahead! Nothing is worse than starting a project and realizing your tools and supplies aren’t in good shape, so give them a quick review to set yourself up for success at the start of the season. If your tools need some love and care, you can bring them in and our friends at Howe Sharpe will pick them up, sharpen them, and have them ready for you in about a week!

 

If you need any advice on waking up your landscape, feel free to stop in at Primex Garden Center. Our fantastic staff would be happy to help you!