Introduction
The cool wet spring season is almost over and it’s time to make the transition to summer. If you want to change your landscape, you can search for “landscape companies near me” and hire professionals for the job. For now, let’s check out how you can spring into summer action and prepare your garden for the transition.
The Garden
- Inspection – Get a notebook and walk around your garden. Note down the beds that need to be cleaned out for damage from snow and ice or for rotten hardscaping. Some of your woody plants may also be damaged by deer and rodents lurking for food. It’s also a good idea to check your garden for rabbit and skunk burrows. They can turn into a nuisance after you establish new garden beds.
After the inspection, sort them out as a priority list and record them in your garden journal. It’s important to record what’s happening in your garden with the change of seasons. Journaling may seem pointless at the moment. However, these notes may be precious treasures that save you in a pinch later on or help you take the right measures. Make sure that your priority list has repairs at the top. This includes everything from trellises and raised beds to broken fences. You have the opportunity to create new beds while it’s still spring season. You won’t have the time or energy to do that in summer.
- Warm up your muscles – During the winter season, you hardly pay a visit to your garden and the spring season isn’t full of activity either. You just harvest your crops and take them to the kitchen. So, when you’re in the middle of spring and transitioning towards summer, it’s very tempting to rush out with the rake. However, that is going to lead to injuries if you aren’t prepared.
- Prepare your tools – Next, it’s time to prepare your tools before the busy season. Inspect your tools and check for rust, dents, and other signs of wear and damage. Go to the garage and start cleaning your manual tools and sharpening them. Oil the hardware and joints and make sure that the tool is ready for the soil and plants.
For your power tools, you can oil the hinges, tighten the handle and sharpen the edges, change motor oil, and that’s about it. You have to take your tools to a professional to get them serviced and checked. If your power tools are too old, consider replacing them with more advanced and quieter battery-powered models that are better for the environment and come with fewer hassles.
- Prune shrubs – Get the recently sharpened pruner and remove damaged and dying wood from the shrubs. You can also take it slow and shape your evergreens if you feel the need. If you have shrubs like panicle hydrangea that bloom on new growth, prune them as well. However, you need to be careful with certain shrubs.
For instance, while roses bloom on new growth, you need to wait and allow their buds to swell. Otherwise, you risk damaging them. Moreover, don’t prune shrubs like forsythia, azalea, and lilac since they flower during the spring season. Prune them after they have flowered.
- Clean out the garden beds – Next, you need to clean out plant debris from your garden beds. That includes perennial foliage, fallen branches, matted down leaves, and more. If there are any ornamental grasses or perennials that have survived the winter season, it’s time to bring them down. Also, check for slugs in your garden and clean out their hiding places.
It’s important to keep your garden beds clean and hygienic to protect your plants from diseases and pests. Start weeding early on so that you have an easier time when they enter their growth spurt during the summer season. If you have water features like ponds, remove debris from the surface and clean them out.
If your birdbath didn’t get any attention during the last year’s fall, it’s time to scrub and disinfect it. Bleach and water should get the job done. Birds can clean out bugs and other garden feeders and that’s why you need to invite them to your garden.
- Prep the soil – This is the best time to nourish the soil without interfering with the plants. Buy a soil test kit and check the condition of the soil. Once you get your soil checked, start making suggested amendments and cover it up with a thick layer of compost. If you had to buy compost, now is a good time to start a compost pile. It will save you a lot of money and allow you to recycle the organic waste in your home and your garden.
- Start seeds – If you live in the northern region where growing seasons are short, it’s best to start seeding early inside the home. It allows you to start seeding in a controlled warm environment and stay ahead of the growing season. When you do indoor sending, you can also experiment with numerous cultivars and plant varieties.
Moreover, it saves you a lot of money. Seeds cost a fraction of the amount you pay for sprouted seedlings. After seeding at home, you can later transfer them to populate your containers, flowerbeds, and rich veggie gardens.
Make sure to stretch out and warm up your muscles before you get your hands in the soil. Try shoulder shrugs to activate your shoulder muscles and void pain while you’re digging, raking, and hoeing. Avoid bending over for weeding as well. That can cause back pain. Instead, get on your hands and knees.
Conclusion
As you move from the spring season to welcome summer, your garden transitions like the rest of the Earth. You can plant new veggies, add support and make other preparations to welcome the warm summer season. On the other hand, you can search for “landscape companies near me” and hire professionals to change your landscape.