Ah, spring at last! Those of us who have been itching to get outside and play in the garden have finally gotten our wish—but don’t start hauling home your bedding annuals just yet. First things first, work your way through this spring gardening checklist and get your landscape set up for warmer temperatures and another great year of colour.
Late March to early April is the perfect time to start warm-weather vegetable seeds like tomatoes and peppers. If you haven’t tried starting seeds indoors before, it’s a rewarding project you’ll want to make an annual tradition! Start by visiting our garden centre and selecting seeds for the fruit and veggies you’d most like to enjoy from the garden. We can get you set up with all the right supplies to care for your seeds and start a glorious garden from scratch!
Spring cleaning may be the most important part of this little spring gardening checklist—it’s so crucial to start with a clean slate! When the ground has dried enough that it’s no longer squishy when walked on, you’re in the clear to begin your cleanup. Remove any debris like acorns and fallen branches that are cluttering up your yard post-melt.
If you didn’t get around to cutting back and disposing of spent plant material from last year, cut it down and put it in your compost (unless it appears diseased, in which case it belongs in the trash).
Finally, if you have mulch leftover from last season, move it out of the way if it’s covering the crowns of your perennials or areas where your bulbs have been planted. Don’t worry about clearing it away altogether if it’s an organic mulch; that stuff is wonderful for your soil and can be worked right in.
A lot of folks skip spring pruning because they’re a little unsure of their technique. I get it—no one wants to cause injury to their plants, but you can’t reap the benefits until you give it a try! We have a whole guide to spring pruning that you can refer to for tips and tricks. You’ll be surprised how therapeutic this spring gardening task can be—and it’ll feel good to cross it off your checklist!
If you have been protecting your more delicate plants, such as evergreens and roses, first of all—good on you! You’ve done these plants many favours that will help them bounce back quicker as the season progresses. Now that the mercury is rising, you can remove those coverings and let those plants breathe.
Next on the spring gardening checklist—building up that garden soil! At least once per year, your garden benefits immensely from the addition of organic matter. Some folks add compost each year, others alternate between compost and well-rotted manure. Whichever you choose, load a solid few inches onto your beds and give it a gentle turn with a hoe or shovel. Be careful; you don’t want to spear any of your tulip bulbs!
Early spring temperatures are just right for planting those long-term landscape plants. This is one of my favourite spring gardening tasks on this checklist—who doesn’t love planting new stuff? Take a look around your landscape, think about the plants that are there already and what might be missing. Perhaps a gorgeous Japanese maple for extra colour in the fall? Some lovely hostas to brighten up a shady patch? Or how about a pretty evergreen to add some year-round interest to your yard?
Yet another spring gardening task that folks tend to shy away from, but one of the most rewarding on your checklist! If you’ve noticed some of your perennials bloomed a little less brightly last year or seemed a bit dull toward the middle, that’s a great cue that it’s time to divide them. Allowing a fairly wide berth around the crown, gently dig them up and carefully lift out the root ball. It might surprise you how big it is below the surface! Use a sharp, clean knife to split it into equal sections (some perennials will readily separate with a little pressure), and replant one of the sections back in place, backfilling with native soil and compost.
What to do with the extra sections? Whatever you like! Pot them and give them away, or plant them somewhere else around the garden—the choice is yours.
Your lawn is probably your largest landscape plant, and spring is when it needs your attention the most. This spring gardening task is really more like its own checklist of procedures, including de-thatching, aerating, fertilizing, overseeding, and applying weed and grub control. Have a read-through of our spring lawn care guide for more detailed steps.
IPM, or Integrated Pest Management, is a practice we strongly promote at Royal City Nursery. The concept behind it is using a combined effort of minimally-invasive management tactics to keep populations of garden insects in balance. If aphids have been a problem for you in the past, consider releasing beneficial insects, like ladybugs (yes, we sell ‘em!), into your garden. If you’re noticing the same bugs getting worse every year in your potato patch, crop rotation (in essence, planting your potatoes elsewhere and something else in its place) can improve your crop’s success.
If pest control is on your mind while working through this checklist, we can’t emphasize enough how a balanced approach like IPM can benefit your gardening long after spring is over. Talk to a team member about the pests you’re concerned about, and we can help you form an action plan!
If you’re lucky enough to have a water feature, spring is an excellent time to get it all shined up and ready for the new season! After removing your fish (if they overwintered outdoors), start by removing any grime and debris that has collected in the feature. Pump out grimy water, trim and fertilize your aquatic plants, and rearrange any stones that have shifted to expose the liner. Finally, reinstall your pump and slowly reintroduce your fish. Boom—one last spring gardening task off the checklist!
Now is an ideal time to start working through the tasks on this checklist and getting your spring garden set up for success. Even if you complete one or two tasks per week, your garden will be all set and ready to glow when the May long weekend arrives and the season kicks into high gear. For more tips, ideas, and all the supplies you could need, visit our garden centre in Guelph or browse our online shop!
