City of Marion recently issued the following announcement.
It’s never too early to start thinking about how you want your yard and flowerbeds to look in the coming year – plus, it’s a nice distraction from the winter weather! Planning ahead and completing a good spring cleaning will help you have a showcase garden in the year to come. Horticulturist Mary Weber offers this checklist to help you pace yourself as you tackle some springtime chores.
Late Winter (Feb-March):
- Browse plant catalogs, make lists, sketch designs and place any orders for seeds, spring annuals, perennials and summer bulbs that excite you.
- On a warmer day, get outside and assess trees and shrubs. Do any winter pruning as needed. A general rule of thumb:
- If it blooms in the spring, wait to prune until it is done blooming.
- If it blooms in the summer/fall or doesn’t bloom at all, prune in the winter. Oak trees should only be pruned during the winter when they are dormant to avoid oak wilt.
- Start spring cutbacks before bulbs start popping – trim down any perennials or ornamental grasses that you left standing through the winter to within 2-3 inches of the ground.
- As snow melts and temperatures warm up, start to clean up flower beds. Rake dead leaves/debris from beds and remove any protective winter mulch from perennials.
- Divide perennials and grasses before spring growth begins to show. Any clumps that have grown too large for their space or whose middles have begun to die out are perfect candidates. Use a sharp shovel or soil knife to make the process easier.
- Use perennial divisions to fill in empty spots in your flower gardens – or give them to friends!
- Add a fresh layer of mulch – mulch has many benefits, including moisture retention, soil temperature reduction and reducing weeds. It also makes beds look tidy and finished! Apply mulch in an even layer (typically 2 inches if you have mulched in the past, 3-4 inches if going on bare soil) and avoid piling it too heavily directly around trees and plants to avoid disease.
- Assess any hardscaping for maintenance. Frost heaves may cause paths or edging to shift over time, and hardscapes in general have the occasional broken stone or paver. Reset or replace any problem areas. This is also a good time to add any new hardscaping as well.
- Take pictures or make notes of any spaces to add more spring bulbs in the fall for next season.
- Plant perennials, shrubs and trees once the ground isn’t frozen and when the weather is still cool (early May) to allow them to establish roots before the summer heat.
- This is also a good time to plant cold-hardy annuals such as pansies, violas, and snapdragons. Use these to add a pop of color both in flower beds and in planters.
- The last frost date for Iowa is typically in early- to mid-May, so wait to plant tender perennials and summer annuals until after that time. This is also a good time to plant summer blooming bulbs like allium, dahlias and gladiolus.
Original source can be found here.
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