After several months of cold, it is time to put away the skis and bring out the gardening tools. Long live spring! Finally, we can get our hands back in the soil and properly prepare for the beautiful season ahead. It's time to make your plans, imagine your flower beds, planters, and flower pots, and dream about your vegetable garden and the delicious vegetables that will grow in your yard. It's also the time to prepare your land and clean up all the debris left by winter.
Remove Winter Protections
If you have set up protections for your plants: snow fences, lawn protection covers, shelters for trees, and others, do not delay in removing them once the nice weather arrives. With the increasing temperature, your plants can overheat if they remain hidden under the protections. Better to be early than too late!
Take Care of the Lawn
Once the snow is completely melted and the ground has dried well, use a leaf rake and vigorously rake your lawn to remove debris left by winter, branches, stones, dead leaves, and old yellowed grass. Does your ground seem compact and very hard? Try the pencil test! If a pencil is difficult to insert into the soil, it would be beneficial to aerate using specialized equipment that you can rent from rental centers or by hiring a lawn care company. Aeration allows your soil to properly absorb water and nutrients that adequately nourish the plants.
Some areas may have been more affected by ice and snow and are bare. It is important to sow grass in these areas to prevent the proliferation of weeds. Choose quality seeds which you can find at your Passion Jardins® retailer and ensure that the area remains moist throughout the germination period of the grass seeds. Take the opportunity to add seeds across your entire lawn surface to thicken your lawn. This way, it will be more vigorous and better combat insects and weeds. This step is called overseeding.
If you maintain your lawn yourself, proceed with a spring fertilization to give your lawn a good energy boost and provide it with everything it needs to be green and healthy. Opt for the step-by-step fertilization program from Passion Jardins® and follow the manufacturer's instructions for dosage. Do not apply more, as it could burn your lawn and harm the environment. What is not absorbed by your grass will be washed away into watercourses.
Prune Trees, Shrubs, and Perennials
If you did not prune your plants in the fall, it should be done in the spring and not too late before the new growth mixes with the old, making pruning more difficult. Cut back perennials and grasses to the ground by removing all the foliage. For trees and shrubs, cut dead wood and broken branches. You can cut up to a third of the branches if you want to restore shape and vigor to your shrubs. For spring-flowering trees and shrubs like lilacs, wait until after flowering for pruning.
Clean the Flower Beds
Clean your flower beds of any debris that may have accumulated during the winter. Turn over the mulch and add more if necessary. It is also time to divide perennials that have expanded too much or to move some plants to create a new decor. Take this opportunity to apply a fertilizer specifically designed to stimulate the growth and flowering of plants in the ground: Passion Jardins® natural flower and vegetable garden fertilizer.
We still need to be patient for vegetables, herbs, and annual flowers. Wait until the risk of frost is well behind and the soil has warmed up before planting them. You can acclimate your seedlings outside during nice days, but don't forget to bring them in at sunset to prevent them from freezing.
You are now ready to fully enjoy the summer, just a little more patience is needed! Happy gardening!
Tips and advice
