Freshly Mulched
How is your mulch looking? Is it still thick enough that it can be fluffed up / freshened up or do you need more this spring? Click here to read some information on mulch + edging.
Finally, regardless of how your edges look now, it’s the best time to get them looking sharp and ready for easy maintenance over the rest of the season.
Not sure of what should happen in your yard this spring? Shoot me a message or give me a call and let’s talk about it and schedule a visit!
mulch + edges
How are the beds themselves? Are they covered in sticks, leaves, pine needles and pine cones? Blowing them off and removing them now while there aren’t plants in the way is a good idea. Plus pine needles and cones break down really slowly - best to remove them in general.
Debris
Perennials are plants, such as hostas, hydrangeas, daylilies, ornamental grasses, etc, that come back each year. Are there any perennials that didn’t get cut back in the fall? Now is the time to do so before they start growing again.
Perrenials
If you’re reading this then it’s probably spring, or nearly there. The birds are chirping and you’ve survived the yearly forward time change. The snow is melted, or almost gone, and you can see your gardens for the first time. What you see depends on how your fall clean-up went. Either way, it’s now a good time to get some work done before any new plant growth begins.
Spring Cleanup
time to get rid of that dead growth
After
during
Before
Leaf "Tacos"
Leaf removal is definitely the bulk of fall cleanup. While I stay mainly in the gardens during the main part of the season, leaf removal encompasses the entire yard.
This means on the gardens, grass, in window wells, down any steps, along curbs, etc. Basically wherever leaves are, they will be removed.
I use a Stihl backpack blower to create piles of leaves in strategic locations and then rake them onto tarps for removal. If you have curb-side collection, I can blow them there or still remove them if you prefer. In November 2018 many curb-side leaves were trapped under snow before city crews could get them and leaves were pushed all over by plows when they cleared the snow. Removal to one of Waterloo Region’s many free leaf dump sites may be the better option.
Leaves
Perennial plants, such as hostas, hydrangeas, daylilies, ornamental grasses, etc, tend to start dying back to soil level in fall. Cutting back plant material that is above the soil level improves their appearance and flowering in spring. It also tidies up gardens and allows for a less impeded leaf cleanup.
Perrenials
If there are any weeds left, it’s still a good idea to pull them, even if you’re not as concerned with the look of your beds at this point. Any weeds pulled fully with the root now, will be that many less to deal with in the spring. In addition, the dampness of fall means that weeds will pull out with much less effort and trouble this time of year.
Weeds
Fall.
For some a time of relief from the heat of summer. For others a time of sadness for the nearing onset of winter.
Whichever describes you best, there is still plenty to do in your gardens.
Petersburg, ON, Canada