Spring
Spring is the time when everything is new again. A whole new start to your garden. To get your garden off to the best start, remove any dead foliage that was not removed in the fall, being careful not to damage any new growth. Even though it may feel to cold for us outside many plants will start growing long before the last frost.
Spring and winter like to heave plants from the ground, heaving is caused by the freezing and thawing of the ground. The best way to protect your plants from this is to mulch them. This provides an insulation that protects the ground from freezing and thawing. Your plants may start just a little later than your neighbors, but you have less chance of losing them. Mulch also keeps the soil cool in the summer and warmer in the fall. Mulch helps to maintain moisture, and depending on the mulch, will break down and add nutrients to the soil. A two to three inch layer of mulch is best.
Compost is the best fertilizer/mulch there is. Compost is plant material and/or leaves, manure from cows, birds or horses that has partially decomposed so the nutrients are available to the soil and it also is a great conditioner for the soil, usually holding moisture and areating the soil. A light covering of compost in the spring can do wonders for your plants. Some say that you should scratch this into the top couple inches of soil around your plants. I have found that just putting it on the ground around your plants allows the nutrients to wash into the soil as it rains. Worms are good about working it in for you, why do all the work yourself?
Most plants that seem to have out grown their area can be divided now. Usually this is done by digging up the plant and breaking or cutting the plant into smaller sections and replacing them back into the ground. This of course gives you new plants to share with friends or expand your garden. Be sure to water the new plants in well. They may look a little wilted for a while, this is usually because the roots have been disturbed and water intake has been reduced. If the plant is watered well and kept watered for the first few weeks after this practice I am sure you will have no problems at all.
Last thing to do is to remove any weeds now while they are small. A little work at this will save you a lot of work later. The mulch applied afterwards will help to keep weeds from coming back and any that do are usually easier to remove.
Now just sit back and watch the birds and your flowers grow. Happy gardening!
