Spring Planting
Checklist

Spring is here. Your garden is waking up. It's time to start planting, pruning, and preparing your flower beds.

Every spring you should give your home a good cleaning. You should take the same approach with getting your garden back in shape for the warmer months ahead. This is the perfect time to get out in the garden and start to freshen it up after a long winter.

After the thaw, it can feel a little overwhelming to take on the chores required for your spring landscaping project. This checklist is intended to help you pace yourself as you roll up your sleeves and dig into your flowerbeds, trees, shrubs, and other garden areas around your yard.

Step 1
Flowerbeds
Start with clearing away dead leaves. Clean away the winter debris from the soil surfaces where you'll be planting annual flowers and vegetables. Make sure to wear gardening gloves, especially when working with plants with prickly leaves.

Perennials
Just in case you’re not sure, by “perennials” we mean plants that die back seasonally but produce new growth in the spring. A good time to divide many perennials is just before they start to regrow in spring. Dividing your perennials is a great way to save a little bit if you want to add more plants to your garden — or share extras with friends. The number one benefit of dividing your perennials is to keep the existing, or original plants healthy.

“Blossom by blossom the spring begins.”
— Algernon Charles Swinburne

Step 2
Mulching
Adding a fresh layer of mulch is a great finishing touch to your spring preparation. Add the mulch around all of your garden beds. Mulching also helps the soil retain moisture and it keeps down weeds. Tip: Buy a little more mulch than you estimate. It often takes more mulch than you figure it will. Spread evenly and use a rake to evenly distribute. Be careful not to layer it on too thickly or too close to your plants. Usually a couple of inches deep will be sufficient, and leave a few inches around your plants.

Pruning
You might have done this in the winter or just before, but if not, now is the time to trim your fruit trees and shrubs. Do this before the buds begin to break into bloom. You risk stressing the tree if you wait too long. This is also a good time to prune summer-blooming trees and shrubs, just before they push out new growth.

Planting
If you’re thinking about planting vegetables, and depending on where you are in Canada, this is a good time to plant hardy, cool-season vegetables, like potatoes, artichokes, peas, and some lettuces. They should be ready to harvest by early summer.

There’s something very satisfying about getting your garden ready for spring. It’s one of those tasks that when it’s done you can really see the fruits of your work. It’s also great exercise, and so refreshing to be outside working in the garden.