Your yard’s busy season.
Landscaping isn’t a “set it and forget it” project. Chapter 17 covers the essential tasks for spring and summer: cleaning up, planting, mulching, watering, pruning, and deadheading.
Spring maintenance begins as soon as the ground thaws. Start with cleanup: rake leaves, remove winter mulch, cut back dead perennial tops from last year (wait until you see new growth at the base). Clean your tools (sharpen pruners, oil moving parts) before using them.
Pruning comes next. Prune summer‑flowering shrubs (like butterfly bush and spirea) in early spring before they leaf out. Prune spring‑flowering shrubs (like lilac and forsythia) right after they bloom—they set their flower buds the previous year. The book includes a simple rule: if it blooms before June, prune after flowering; if it blooms after June, prune in early spring.
Fertilize trees, shrubs, and perennials in spring as new growth emerges. Use a balanced fertilizer (10‑10‑10) unless a soil test recommends otherwise. Lawns get their first feeding when grass starts growing actively (around when forsythia blooms).
Mulching is a spring ritual. Spread 2–3 inches of organic mulch around trees, shrubs, and flower beds. Keep mulch away from tree trunks (the “volcano mulch” kills trees). Mulch conserves moisture, suppresses weeds, and moderates soil temperature.
Summer maintenance focuses on watering and deadheading. Water early in the morning (before 10 a.m.) to reduce evaporation and fungal disease. Use a rain gauge to track how much water your garden receives. One inch per week is the general rule, but sandy soils may need more.
Deadheading (removing spent flowers) keeps many annuals and perennials blooming. For plants like petunias and marigolds, just pinch off the faded flower. For plants with many small flowers (like verbena), shear the whole plant back by one‑third.
Summer is also the season for staking tall plants (delphiniums, peonies, tomatoes) before they flop. Use bamboo stakes and soft twine. The book recommends “loop and lock” tying: make a figure‑eight loop around both stem and stake.
Spring/Summer mantra: A little weekly effort prevents a season of regret.
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