Spring clean your garden in 8 simple steps

The pussy willows have burst forth across P.E.I., and as the crocuses bloom and the tulips begin to bravely poke up, it's time to assess what's going on in your yard and garden.

CBC asked two long-standing P.E.I. landscaping companies, Spruce Grove and Beyond the Garden, for their advice on how best to tackle what can seem like a chore. 

1. Lawn and bed cleanup

While some Islanders have thoroughly tidied their gardens in the fall, others put it off till spring. Either way, your lawn may still require a light raking to remove broken branches and late-falling leaves.

Cut back late-blooming perennials that may have been purposely left standing over winter for garden interest, such as ornamental grasses, advises Jordan Mol with Spruce Grove. 

"Ornamental grasses have a better survival rate if they are left till springtime before cutting them back to about six inches above grade," Mol says. 

Nip any emerging weeds in the bud now, too. 

2. Fertilize

"Take soil samples of you garden or planting beds to figure out what is lacking," advises Mike Gallant with Beyond the Garden.

Take core soil samples and submit them for testing — there's lots of advice on how and why to do it on the province's website. 

You can drop off soil samples at one of eight Access PEI locations across the province — they go to a local lab in West Royalty's business park for analysis. 

This will help you know what mix of fertilizer to apply. P.E.I.'s acidic soil can mean lawns often just need a periodic application of powdered limestone.

3. Add compost

Use a good-quality compost on your planting beds, says Gallant. Make you own of well-composted manure, leaves or any other organic matter, or buy it at a garden centre.

To add compost to an already-established bed — remove the mulch, cultivate in compost with a fork, water thoroughly in case you disturbed any roots and then reinstall the mulch, he says.

Mol advises adding about two and a half centimetres of compost to the soil around the base of perennial plants and throughout the bed — preferably it should be cultivated into the soil.

"This will not only feed the plants but improve the drainage and moisture-holding capacity of the soil," because it contains organic matter, Mol says.

Pelletized fertilizer can also be applied around young trees to boost their growth. 

"The best way to do this is to bore several holes around the drip line about 20 to 25 centimetres deep and add some fertilizer specific to the type of plant and according to the product recommendations," Mol says. The drip line is where the feeder roots of the tree are located.

4. Divide perennials

While you're in your beds digging around, check to see if your perennial plants, such as hosta, daylily, iris and sedum, need to be divided before the plants put forth a lot of new growth. 

"This helps to reduce crowding, increases air flow between plants which can reduce the incidence of mildew problems and it keeps the plants from getting so big that they die out in the centre," says  Mol. 

5. Pruning

Mol advises cutting back overgrown shrubs to the base to rejuvenate new growth, such as lilacs, forsythias or dappled willows.

Other types of shrubs can be pruned to remove up to one third of their old wood, remove the previous season's flower seed heads or to manage size to keep the shrubs in scale with the adjoining plantings, Mol says.

"Know your plants before pruning — some flower more abundantly on the previous year's wood, such as certain forms of hydrangeas, while other shrubs should be left as they are until after bloom such as azaleas and rhododendrons, with exception of pruning broken branches," Mol says.

Roses should be pruned in the spring, Gallant says. 

6. Edging

Edging is usually the last step completed before mulch is applied, says Mol. 

Edging involves cutting the sod adjacent to the beds with a sharp garden edging tool to define the edge of the bed from the lawn and to prevent the grass from creeping into the bed. 

"Hold the edger at a 30-degree angle and slice the ground to create a nice clean edge," Gallant says.  

7. Mulching 

"Cultivate old mulch to allow air movement in the soil and water to percolate easier," advises Gallant, using a three- or four-prong cultivator.

Mulch is applied over the soil surface of the beds usually at a thickness of five centimetres (two inches), says  Mol, to give a "fresh clean look that acts as a deterrent for weeds and helps prevent moisture loss from the soil."

You can use bark or stone mulch. Some people who enjoy a natural look even use seaweed, which also adds organic matter to the soil. 

Move mulch away from trunks of trees and from the bark of shrubs so it doesn't rot out the bark, Gallant says. 

8. Spring lawn work

If you notice a thick buildup of dead, brown grass, your lawn may need de-thatching, which allows new grass to grow. If you have lots of energy, a thorough raking might do, or you can rent de-thatching machines at garden centres. 

Your lawn or parts of it can become compacted by heavy snow, ice or frequent use, such as pathways. Aerating will allow air and water into the soil and encourage new growth. Aerators can be purchased or rented.

"For those who want a lush green lawn we recommend applying the first of three seasonal applications of fertilizer in the spring," Mol says. Subsequent applications can be in the summer, when rain is in the forecast, and fall.  

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