Mid-spring garden guide
What to do in the yard and garden now
Your mid-spring garden is full of life with tulips, daffodils and lilacs in bloom.
Your lawn is growing so vigorously you almost need to mow twice a week. (Did you get the lawn mower blades sharpened?)
Frost is getting to be a distant memory, but in northerly regions you have to be careful - it can still sneak up.
Mid-spring garden jobs to do in the yard
Prune woody plants, including broad-leaved evergreen plants and evergreen or deciduous hedges. Spring-flowering should be pruned right after their blossoms fade. To encourage thick, compact growth on pines and other needled evergreens, pinch the new candles (a term for the new growth on evergreens) to remove half of the new growth. Check out this pruning guide.
Lawn care in mid-spring means keeping up with the mowing. Set your mower to a height of about three inches, and try not to remove more than one-third of the blades at one cutting. Aerate your lawn or have the job done by a lawn service. More tips on lawn care.
Water newly planted trees and shrubs, ground cover plants and perennials if there isn't enough rain. See watering tips.Mulch under shrubs to retain moisture and keep weeds down.
Keep on top of the weeds. Weeds are growing most vigorously now. Getting them now means less weeding later on in the season - and you'll prevent weeds from going to seed.
Mid-spring jobs in the flower garden
Maintain your perennial garden by continuing to plant and transplant perennials. Divide perennials and ornamental grasses that need it.
Plant container gardens. Planting tips for containers
Plant frost-tender annuals and dahlias and summer-flowering bulbs such as gladioli after the last frost date for your region.
Label any new plants so you'll remember what they are or draw a map of your garden.
Note of any mid-spring garden gaps that could be filled with spring bulbs for next year and buy new plants to fill any holes now.
Mulch your flowerbeds. Check out mulching tips.
Stake perennials such as delphiniums and peonies before they've grown too tall (bamboo sticks and string do a better job than most commercial supports).
Water your garden if it doesn't rain enough. Most plants need an inch of moisture per week.
Apply fertilizer if needed. See organic fertilizer tips.
Related information:
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Your mid-spring garden tulips and daffodils -
what to do after they finish blooming
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