5 Steps for Preparing a Garden for Spring

Courtesy Barbara Gomez

Prune Shrubs

One of the first steps in preparing a garden for spring starts before the snow melts. In late winter or very early spring, prune summer-flowering shrubs, including blue spirea, summersweet and rose of Sharon, to encourage bushy growth and masses of nectar-laden blooms. Learn when to prune hydrangeas.

Look for Bugs

Inspect the trees and shrubs in your yard for overwintering pests. Removing egg masses of eastern tent caterpillars, spongy moths and other voracious insects can greatly reduce plant damage without the use of chemicals—a major goal for any wildlife gardener.

Clean Up Flower Beds

Remove and compost leaves and plant debris from spent annuals and perennials like coneflowers that stayed in the garden over winter. The birds have likely picked the seed heads clean. Check out more ways to take your garden from good to great.

Courtesy Donna Ruiz

Work the Soil and Prepare Garden Containers

Go ahead and order seeds from seed catalogs, but preparing your garden for spring needs to start before you go shopping for new plants. Break up hard clumps (psst—this is my favorite cultivator tool), remove weeds, and work compost or other organic material into the top layer of soil. Replace any broken or damaged pots. Buy fresh, quality potting mix for containers and raised beds.

Add New Plants

Scour garden centers for plants birds, butterflies and bees love. Plant annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs that will attract wildlife. Include those that offer food as well as shelter.