Spring Cleaning: Your Garden

Our week of spring cleaning concludes with a type of spring cleaning you may not have thought of before–spring cleaning your garden. Just like the other parts of your home, the garden requires a little bit of annual TLC to stay looking great. Spring is the perfect time to do it. The soil has thawed out a bit and new growth should be starting.

Artificial Outdoor Plants

Weeding

Before you can do anything else, a good weeding is required. Get down in that garden and pull all weeds. If you want to lay down a new weed barrier or treat the soil at all, now is a perfect time to do it.

Trim Back Plants

Depending upon where you live, now could be the right time to do your annual trimming. Check the Gardening Extension program for your state to get recommendations for your area on when is the perfect time to trim plants.

Add New Plants

Once your garden is nice and cleaned out, take a step back and see what your garden still needs. Are there some new plants you want to add? Artificial plants are easy to add and you don’t have to worry about what time of year it is or whether it is a plant that will thrive in your climate. If you are planting real plants, make sure to check with your garden center to see what flowers would be best. Pansies and petunias are always a pretty safe bet.

Mulching

With all your new plants in place it is time to lay down new garden cover. Whether you prefer rocks or mulch, chances are your garden could use a fresh coat. Lay down some new mulch around your garden and around any trees in your yard.

Support Nature

Birds and squirrels have emerged again and they are going to need some food and some water to drink. Put out a bird feeder or bird bath to help attract local wildlife to your yard.