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Hints & Tips
It's spring again and we anxiously await the glorious colors of summer. While we wait for summer the need to get started gardening is stirring inside and trying to get out. The first signs of Snow Drops and Crocus wet our appetites. The perennial gardening season has begun. As with any beginning it is time to clean up and nurture our plants for their season. All debris (leaves, dead flower stalks and early weeds), should be removed at the first sign of fresh growth poking out of the ground and in the winters cover. Dead stalks should be removed from perennial plants at ground level on those plants that die back to the ground each year. Dead and broken branches should be removed from the evergreen perennials and the plant should be shaped as desired. The garden may also need to be edged which is something that is done more easily in the spring than any other time of the year. A heavy set of pruning shears work wonders for cutting back ornamental grasses which gave the garden a wonderful moving character all winter.Spring is also the time to mulch or top dress your perennial garden because you will do the least amount of damage to the plant leaves and flowers. It is also easier to get equipment into the garden since the plants are still only an inch or so out of the ground. Fertilize your perennial garden with a slow release formula such as Osmocote or use an organic fertilizer such as Electra. These fertilizers will feed your perennials longer and produce less rank growth, give the garden a more natural look and save you time by eliminating some of your pruning. Enjoy the spring labor. The extra care now will give you great rewards later. |
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