How does your garden grow? If you’re answering in a nervous voice because you’ve just moved into your first home, don’t worry. That first year in your garden, you might be uncertain how to make your outdoor space look its best. Here are some tips to help you get through your first year in your new garden, no matter when you move in. 

In the Spring 

If you’re in the garden in the spring, you’ll be surprised at how quickly everything begins to grow. You’ll need to: 

• Remove winter items from your garden.
• Consider what plants you want to keep and which ones you’ll give away. 
• Develop an overall plan for your garden so that you’re planting with intention. 
• Add new perennials in accordance with your garden plan.
• Divide and transplant if you didn’t do so in the fall.
• Add soil amendments to your garden beds, such as compost 
• Prune your woody perennial flowers. According to The Spruce, “some shrubby plants with woody stems (artemisia, buddleia, caryopteris, lavender…) need to be cut back each spring because they only bloom on new branches.”
• Trim away the parts of the plants that have been damaged by the winter weather.
• Edge your garden beds.
• Add spring annuals to your garden.

In the Summer

Summer tends to be a little drier than other times of the year. That means that it’s a good time to do larger landscaping and home renovation projects. For example, you could: 

• Paint your porch or garden furniture. 
• Add a new gutter cover system or seamless gutters to prevent water from spilling into your garden.
• Change your garden landscape with a terrace or a new pathway.

You’ll also need to keep up with all of the growth in your garden. This involves: 

• Staking plants 
• Weeding 
• Edging beds
• Trimming plants as required 
• Harvesting leaves, fruit, and flowers

In the Fall

Fall is about winding down from the summer, preparing for the winter, and continuing to have beautiful plants in your garden. What should you do to your garden in the fall? 

• Add some fall color: plant fall annuals such as pansies and mums. 
• Plant bulbs in your garden so that they’ll bloom in the spring. 
• Divide your perennial plants and replant them in new parts of the garden.
• Cover tender perennials with straw, leaves, or burlap to make sure that they are protected from frost.Bring especially tender plants indoors: according to Better Homes and Gardens, you should “remove dead foliage and break up any hardened soil before hauling your cherished tropical plants (such as mandevilla, passionflower, and citrus) indoors for the winter.”
• Add compost or manure to the garden beds.
• Mulch to build soil and protect plants over the winter months.
• Make sure that your gutters don’t freeze over and leak into your garden and into the roof. Install a gutter heating system before winter arrives.

In the Winter

Winter time can be overwhelming in some parts of the country, with lots of ice and snow to contend with in your garden. Other areas may be more rainy than snowy. Either way, you will need to ensure that your garden has adequate drainage to allow water to drain away from pathways or garden beds. 

Winter is the perfect time to consider your home renovations for the year as well. This includes planning for your garden for the rest of the year. Use some time during the winter to note where existing plants grow, where you have pathways and garden beds, and to plan what would make you delighted to spend time in your garden in the new year.

At Harry Helmet, we’re here to help you create the most beautiful outdoor space possible. With our roofing, awnings, and gutter cover products, we’ll help you integrate home and garden. Schedule a free estimate today.

Written by Del Thebaud