SEASONAL TIPS

Get a jumpstart on spring with these timely chores by Paul Gellatly

START OFF THE season by making sure everything is in working order, clean up the yard, get the beds ready and plan for this year’s special garden features.

• Start seeds six to eight weeks before your final frost date which is mid- May in Toronto.

• Prune roses, old raspberry canes, late flowering clematis, etc. Remove dead branches.

• Cut back perennial grasses and any other perennials that were left for winter interest before the new growth starts to appear.

• When spring bulbs start to poke their heads through the ground, carefully top dress your garden with about five cm (two in) of compost or well-seasoned manure, which will add slow-release nutrients, conserve water and suppress weeds for the upcoming season.

• Divide perennials as new growth starts to appear. This is the perfect time to dig up a clump, divide it, transfer segments to areas of the garden where you have bare spots, or share with family and friends.

• Remove leaves and mulch from your vegetable garden to help warm the soil. Wait until soil has dried out sufficiently before tilling. Add amendments such as manure or compost, and plant early season crops like lettuce, radishes, kale, onions and peas.

• Protect young plants from late frosts with a cold frame or cloche.

• You have waited all winter to see a splash of colour; add some pansies and ranunculus to your garden or planters.

A Winning Combo – Rodgersia ‘Bronze Peacock’. Osteospermum ‘Blue Eyed Beauty’ and Hakonechloa macra ’Aureola’ Lotus leaf (Nelumbo nucifera)

• Plan projects for the season. What areas of your garden needed improvement last year? Maybe you want to add a water feature or a new pathway. Now’s the time!

• Do a tool inventory, sharpen and oil your tools and get them ready for an exciting year of gardening ahead. If you need to replace an old or broken tool, best do that now.

• Clean water features, replace filters, turn on pumps, remove leaves that have accumulated since the fall.

• Ensure your garden is wildlife friendly; plan to add some new native plants, install a nesting box in the right spot to attract birds and provide a clean, consistent water source. Birds and other wildlife help control pests in the garden. Consider plants that offer nectar, seeds and berries. Ensure trees and shrubs are present for shelter and nesting.

• Tuck back in any perennials and/or shrubs planted late last fall that may have heaved from the frost.

• And finally, don’t step in the garden too much as you might damage perennial crowns and spring bulbs not yet poking above the soil.