Smart garden maintenance will promote superior plant growth whether you have only a lawn, just a few foundation plantings, a small plot of annuals or a full-blown perennial flower garden.
If you do a little research about the particular likes and dislikes of the plants you have or plan to have, and apply what you learn, your plants will be the envy of the neighborhood.
One of the most often neglected groups of plants is foundation plantings of shrubs, especially flowering shrubs. Just a little care like feeding them at the beginning of the growing season, and proper pruning will reward you with plants that will enhance the look of your home. Remember that shrubs that flower on new growth can be pruned in late winter or early spring before they wake from dormancy. Shrubs that flower on old wood should be pruned immediately after the blooming season is over so they can develop the growth that will flower next spring.
Lawns require only a small amount of care to keep them as green as that one on “the other side of the fence”. Properly timed fertilization and pest controls will pay off handsomely. Be very careful to NOT over feed your lawn, and to apply only to the lawn not the sidewalk or street, to avoid runoff reaching local streams or ponds. Never remove more than 1/3 or so of the length of the grass when mowing.
For your flower or vegetable garden, applying a good layer of
compost and working it in is the best way to protect your wallet by reducing
the amount of fertilizer needed.
Irrigation with soaker hoses will also help not only water conservation,
but also will help avoid diseases by placing the water at the roots and not wetting
the leaves. A good layer of mulch will
also reduce the need for irrigation.
Mulch in the winter is even more important in cold climates, but be sure to wait till the ground is frozen before applying it. Then the winter mulch will help reduce plant loss by protecting from the freeze-thaw-freeze cycle that can kill tender perennials.
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