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Spring Clean Up?
Spring clean-ups are needed for several
different reasons. First it gives your yard a nice, clean look that leads you into the summer. Second, it provides you with
edged bedlines, removal of debris and turned over beds. It is also an important to aerate and dethatch your lawn, apply fertilizer/weed
prevention to your lawn and apply a pre-emergent (weed prevention) to your planting beds. Another added bonus to think about
is mulch. Spring is an excellent time to apply mulch. It looks nice, it prevents weeds and it slows down water evaporation.
Mulch also reduces the look of muddy planting beds after the spring rains. And of course one the best reasons for mulch is
muddy paws... it really does reduce the tracking in of mud and dirt.
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How To Get Spring
Color?
Spring is a difficult time to get any sort of garden color. As the weather begins to warm and you are outside
more often you may wish you had planted more spring blooming bulbs. An excellent way to get color even if you didn't plant
bulbs is from Pansies. They do very well in pots, in the ground mixed with your bulbs or just planted in mass to give a jump
start to summer. Pansies will last for a few months but we think it is worth the time and expense. They will begin to fade
as the weather warms and will slowly fade away as the heat hits. Although it is hard to do we recommend pulling them out
and starting fresh with new annuals come late May or June. It is really the best way to get the most blooms throughout the
year.
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When Should I Plant Perennials?
You should begin planting
late in the spring once we are past the danger of frost and established plants are beginning to bloom. We highly recommend
for all new plantings beds to prepare your soil with compost/sand and rototil. Healthy soil is critical to having a healthy
garden. Be sure you plant according to each plants specifications, for example, not too deep, not too shallow, not too much
shade or sun. Be careful to check varieties, growth heights and exposure as they vary greatly. Always water your plants
in and fertilize. New plants will need to be watered throughout the summer and into the fall. Also, be careful to purchase
your plants at stores that specialize in landscaping. Be very wary of large chain stores that bring in bulk plants for special
sales. These plants may look good when you buy them but they have often been placed in a truck for days without light and
water and will not show stress until you get them home. You often get what you pay for and end up paying twice when the plants
die. Of course you can set aside all these worries and just call us... we will handle it all and even give you a guarantee.
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When To Plant Annuals?
The golden rule is to plant after
Mother's day. Although some people like me do it earlier and take the risk... yes... but it is still a risk so we have to
say wait until Mother's day or later. When planting annuals start by adding some compost/peatmoss/sand/vermiculite/old potting
soil/perlite...and cultivate very well. Then apply a pre-emergent/weed preventor. When the soil is well cultivated the annuals
should go in fast and easier. You can plant one cell pack in a hole or you can break them up. Just remember more plants
fill in faster in this zones short growing season. When all your annuals are in, get out your Miracle Gro and fertilize.
Keep fertilizing every two weeks for best results. It is also very easy to buy the Miracle Gro hose attachment and pour
one full bag of fertilizer in it. It goes very fast so buy the big boxes with multiple application bags. Finally, an all
time favorite annual is the ever beautiful Impatien. Yes, they can take the sun, however they can not take all day hot beating
sun. They will require lots more water in sunny areas but they can do it with a little extra TLC. Always be prepared to
water your Impatiens every single day.
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