It’s spring. Your garden is stretching its leaves and yawning, waking up from a long winter. Even if you live in a place where the plants go dormant but there’s not a lot of snow, your garden plants still work on an annual cycle. What design strategies and observations do you need to organize in the spring? 

What Needs Maintenance?

Spring is an excellent time to observe what needs maintenance after every winter. Are you constantly getting clogged gutters that spill over in the springtime and cause puddles in your garden? Perhaps a gutter cover is in order? Is one of your trees losing its branches in the winter, causing damage to your fences and garden beds? Consider pruning or replacing this older tree. Evaluate your winter and spring maintenance with an eye to changes you need to make in your garden design. Stacey Kath Garden Design suggests that you: 

• Prune and deadhead your roses 
• Cut down perennials that needed pruning before the new growth appears 
• Divide and transplant perennials to new parts of the garden

What’s Looking Tired? 

Spring is a time when you can add new annuals to your garden. You can also add new perennials, as long as it’s not getting too hot and dry. If you notice that certain parts of your garden are looking old, tired, and worn after the winter, now is the time to add more color, texture, and diversity to your garden beds. 

Watch Your Water 

If you live in an area that has a lot of snow, the spring snowmelt is a time to watch your garden intently. Are there areas where the water pools and won’t drain into the soil? Consider changing the soil drainage in those spaces to make drainage easier. Are there hollows in your garden that make it difficult for water to drain or form natural ponds? Either plan a way to use those garden spaces as rain gardens or plan to level out that part of your garden.

Look for Succession 

What’s growing in your garden? As spring begins to turn into summer, look at what’s growing up and what might need in pruning in your garden. If your tiny shrubs have turned into large beasts, are you happy about that? Consider how a change in one plant could impact all of the other plants in your garden. You could be happy that tree is growing, but unhappy that it’s casting shade over all of your smaller flowers.

Open Up Your Outdoor Rooms 

If outdoor rooms are part of your garden design, now is the time to air them out for the season. Plan what plants to add to your trellis, add garden baskets to your deck or porch, and clean up debris from the outdoor kitchen. Add to your garden furniture: Freshome suggests that “Since outdoor living space is an extension of your home when the sun is out, choose pieces that continue the flow of your design style inside.”

At Harry Helmet, we’re dedicated to helping you grow a better home and garden. Talk with us about adding a gutter cover to your gutters to improve the water flow in your garden. Schedule a free estimate today.

Written by Del Thebaud