Seasonal Perennial Garden Care
Remember that plants have 3 essential needs: soil, sunlight, and water. Each plant has a preference on the amount of water, sunlight, and the type of soil you plant it in. Make sure to do your research when you add a new plant to your garden to make sure it likes its location. In the spring, to amend soil in garden beds, I like to add organic fertilizer, compost, and/or mulch. Bark mulch is readily available, but other organic mulches work just as well or better, for example: pine needles, fallen leaves, or wood chips. These three things - fertilizer, compost, and mulch - add nutrients and organic matter to the soil. Adding organic matter is important in building soils. It helps condition the soil to better feed the plants and beneficial microorganisms that live in them. Remember to give your plants adequate water during weeks without rain.
Spring - in the spring, I like to assess the garden for the coming year. I ask questions like: What did well the year before? What plant needs to be moved or fertilized this year? Where could we divide and change the design of the plants for health of the landscape and aesthetics?
Summer - remember to water your gardens when they need it (especially new additions and transplants!) and keep weeding! Weeding is done for aesthetic purposes but it is also helpful to plants. Roots of weeds can choke out the desirable plants that you want to have by taking nutrients and water away from others. Some perennials benefit from clipping back flowers and leaves in the summer time. A little research will help you determine which plants need what.
Autumn - this is also a time to reflect on the season's garden health and aesthetics. Its time to add bulbs for next spring, think about seeds you want to add and what you need to do to prepare for next season. Whether its cutting your gardens back, bringing in potted plants, or putting up bird feeders - lets make the most of it and enjoy our gardens!
Winter - most herbaceous garden foliage can be cut back for the winter months. Some plants can be left up for seed heads that can feed birds - like echinacea, agastache, and rudbekia. When you plan to remove plant matter from the garden you are taking away nutrients from the soil. Remember to return it in some way in the spring - with compost, fertilizer, mulch, or a combination of all three!
Caring for plants means you are also caring for beautiful wildlife!
Cadreact Garden & Landscaping. Erika Cadreact. 603-667-3312. [email protected]. PO Box 313 Pike NH 03780