Spring Garden Checklist

Spring's the Time for Gardening...Get Ready with Ace.

Early Spring
Check for signs of growth. Did you remember to plant snow crocus last fall? If not, cut forsythia or magnolia branches to bring inside for forcing. Prep the beds. Remove winter mulch or, if well composted, work into the top layer of the soil. Work in some leaf mold or well-rooted manure, too. Prune. Now is the time to trim fruit trees if you didn't prune in winter. Prune before buds begin to break into bloom or you'll stress the tree and get a tiny crop (or possibly none). Perform basic maintenance. Check stonework for frost heaves. Check and clean the deck now so you don't have to do it later; make any repairs. Start seeds indoors. You've spent the winter reading seed and plant catalogs, so try some. Plant veggies. Hardy vegetables, such as onions, potatoes, artichokes, and some lettuces, should be planted now. Divide perennials. Before plants have begun spring growth is a good time to divide many perennials. Share some divisions with your friends this year.

Mid-Spring
Build new beds. Every gardener needs more beds. This year, put in a flowering shrub bed supplemented with perennials and annuals. Enjoy the spring show. Resolve to plant more spring-flowering bulbs next fall. Plant hardy annuals. Sow seeds outdoors or transplant seedlings. Apply mulch and more mulch. If you mulch now, you'll have next to no weeding come summer.

Late Spring
Deadhead bulbs. Remove spent blossoms from spring-flowering bulbs; let foliage die back without removing it. Go shopping. Pick out flats of your favorite bedding plants; remember to pick ones not yet in bloom for stronger plants. Prune spring-flowering shrubs. Trim away spent blooms, and thin too-thick branches to rejuvenate older plants.

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