Spring Clean-Up: Preparing for a Blooming Season

Spring is a time of renewal and growth, and our spring clean-up tasks are essential to ensure our gardens and landscapes thrive throughout the season.

Here’s why we perform these tasks:

Promotes Healthy Growth. Removing dead material from gardens removes the potential for any overwintering pests to infect the new growth on perennials and shrubs. The first step to dealing with pests that was in any of our plant pathology classes was sanitation!
Aesthetics It looks nice when we are done!

Optimize Plant Growth When performing our spring clean ups we are pruning summer flowering plants such as roses, potentilla & spiraea (a short list) to maximize their flowering in the summer season.

Environmental Responsibility We ensure all of the material we take pout of a garden is disposed of at a site where they compost all of the yard waste.

Seasonal Planting At this time of the year we can add colour to the garden by adding planters of violas, and even pots of forced spring flowering bulbs. Most of the gardens we care for are full of spring flowering bulbs from seasons past.

What we do:

Weed and Edge Beds Weeding and edging beds help maintain a neat appearance and prevent unwanted plants from competing with your garden’s desired flora. This process ensures that your plants have the space and resources they need to grow healthily.

Weeding now lessens the impact of weeds as we move through the growing season.

A “good” edge cuts through the sod and soil. The grass plants in the lawn will not creep into the garden beds.

Cutting Back Perennials, Including Grasses Cutting back perennials and grasses removes old growth, encouraging new, vigorous growth. This task helps rejuvenate the plants, allowing them to flourish and produce beautiful blooms.

Grasses are often cut too short. Leave about 1/3 of the stem intact. These old stems will help support the new growth.

General Clean-Up of Debris Cleaning up debris, such as fallen leaves and branches, prevents pests and diseases from taking hold in your garden. A tidy garden is a healthy garden, ready to welcome new growth.

Scout for Pests There are quite a few pests that lay their eggs on the bark of trees and shrubs. During the spring clean up we look for egg masses and remove them. This helps prevent those pests from having an undesirable impact on the gardens.

Apply Natural Pine Mulch Applying natural pine mulch helps retain moisture, suppress weeds, and improve soil health. Mulch also provides a polished look to your garden beds, enhancing their overall appearance.

We prefer natural mulches as opposed to dyed mulch products. Often, dyed mulch products are made from recycled wood products and we have found undesirable material in these mulches. Natural mulches decompose slowly adding to the soil biome. Dyed mulches resist decomposition and fade leaving a garden that looks: meh…

Prune All Shrubs Appropriately Pruning shrubs according to accepted horticultural principles promotes healthy growth and flowering. This is especially important for summer-flowering shrubs, as proper pruning ensures they produce abundant blooms.

Spring flowering shrubs – shrubs that have the flower buds on them already – should only be pruned to remove any winter damage.

Stay Off the Lawn It’s important to stay off the lawn during early spring. Fertilizing should wait until mid to late May, as recommended by the Guelph Turfgrass Institute. This timing ensures the lawn receives nutrients when it’s most beneficial.

We have already noticed some people fertilizing lawns. It is far too early to do so. Do not fertilize until mid-May at the earliest.

 

Clean Up and Dispose of Material at a MECP Approved Waste Disposal Site Proper disposal of garden waste at a MECP approved site ensures environmental responsibility and compliance with regulations. This step helps keep our community clean and green.

Plant Spring Planters Spring planters with flowering bulbs, pansies, and spring décor items add vibrant color and charm to your garden. These planters are a delightful way to celebrate the season and enhance your outdoor space.

By performing these spring clean-up tasks, we set the stage for a beautiful and thriving garden. Happy gardening! And let us know if you have any questions or comments!