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Gardening is a tedious activity, and it is quite safe to say that it may not be one of the first things on your agenda after winter goes and spring sets in. However, you can’t just leave your garden as is; there are still things you can do to ensure your garden looks pristine and beautiful throughout the year. Sure, you may be inclined to get things over with during spring, but for determined green thumbs, gardening is a season-to-season endeavor.
Understand that maintenance is a never-ending process, and this is especially a truism if your front lawn or backyard have been established just a handful of years ago – or if you are looking to accentuate the overall look and feel of your garden throughout the seasons, evolving it each year.
In light of this, mentioned below are season-to-season garden maintenance tips everybody can perform to transform your garden into your personal little piece of heaven.
Maintaining your garden in spring
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1. Start anew
Give those beautiful, uplifting little spring flowers a fresh start by keeping the garden nice and clean. Begin by doing away with all the dead plants and leaves scattered throughout the yard, pick up the withered branches, clean everything. As soon as you open your yard for the new season, it is vital to check for dead plants, short trees, and shrubs. Cut all the perennials you neglected to do so during fall. Moreover, invest in good bug killer sprays to keep infestations at bay.
2. Get some fresh compost and fertilizer to feed the land
When it comes to plants, shrubs, and trees, it is a good idea to fertilize them during spring because of the warmer climate. As for annuals or planters, you can add the fertilizer once or twice every month.
3. Get some annuals for your garden
At the very start of spring, try to embellish your flowering bushes and/or garden bulbs with annuals such as violas and pansies as these are cool-weather plants. As soon as you enter May, you can start planting early summer annuals such as begonias, dahlias, and impatiens. Planting all three of these late spring annuals will accentuate the aesthetics of your garden, filling it with bright and uplifting pops of color throughout summer.
Moreover, these annuals will also last the whole summer with proper care.
4. Don’t forget to water everything you plant
When it comes to new plantings, many people neglect watering them on a daily basis. It is vital to understand each new planting needs day to day watering in the first week. And after one week, you have to water them once or twice every week. New planting needs water to thrive and grow quickly.
5. Have a good irrigation system in place
In spring, you won’t need to water your entire yard on a daily basis, which gives you a couple of months before summer, where you can check the efficacy of your irrigation system. Make sure it works effectively so that you can be prepared to water your garden every week when the summer kicks in.
Maintaining your garden in summer
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6. Pruning the bushes
When the summer heat kicks in, it is time to properly prune all those spring bushes; you are going to see plenty flowering during spring – for example, rhododendrons and lilacs.
7. Take extra care of the roses
It is a good idea to fertilize roses during the hot months of summer – however, it is important not to procrastinate pruning those rose beds throughout the season. Remember, summer is also the time when insects like whiteflies and red spider mites come out, so keep a couple of bug killer sprays handy.
8. Water the garden effectively
Now that the summer months are here to stay for the next couple of months, you are going to have to water your garden on a daily basis. However, this doesn’t mean flooding the garden. Set your irrigation system to water the planting, trees, and grass frequently and in short bursts, don’t let the water running.
Maintaining your garden in fall
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9. Cutting unwanted plantings
The optimum way of prepping your garden for fall is to get rid of plantings and flowerings that are not in season. So, start cutting shrubs and plants that show signs of withering so that flowers and annuals can show through during fall.
10. Get some seasonal planting varieties
September and October are good months to plant some seasonal additions in your garden – for example, go for planters such as ornamental kale or asters and fall grass.
11. Prepare for spring
During the end of fall, it is better to start thinking about planting spring plants and bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. You can do this in the month of October or in the first week of November.
Maintaining your garden in winter
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12. Secure the shrubs and trees
Winter is the time when you start to preserve certain types of plants and trees. For example, pine trees, evergreen bushes, and holly can beautifully accentuate the look of your garden during the winter. The best thing you can do to protect these plants and trees is to spray them with anti-desiccants. This can help inhibit the leaves from drying out.
Moreover, the chemicals will also serve as an added layer of seasonal protection, especially when you talk about all that moisture build-up in winter. Furthermore, you can also prevent your shrubs from being damaged during heavy snowfall if you wrap them with twine.
13. Analyze the structure of your garden
Winter is the best season to analyze every aspect of the design and structure of your garden. That is primarily because during colder months, a lot of the flowers, as well as the foliage, will quickly clear out. This is where you can think about accentuating the overall design of your yard so that it looks nice and clean throughout the year.
You can go for simpler things, for example, a retaining wall or dogwood branches, both of which can help add to the style and structure of your garden in winter and beyond.
Final words
So there you have it – a short but sweet and simple guide to how you can maintain your garden throughout the seasons. Use these to preserve the beauty and add value to the look and feel of your garden.
Author Bio:
Alycia Gordan is a freelance writer who loves to read and write articles on healthcare technology, fitness, and lifestyle. She is a tech junkie and divides her time between travel and writing. You can find her on Twitter: @meetalycia
