Spring Forward

By Kathy Renwald, for HGTV Ideas magazine

By late winter, gardeners are aching to caress the good earth, to smell growing things, to pull away leaves and see the first startling bright-green leaf unbending. There may be ice storms or punishing rains yet to come, but after a cold season of withdrawal, we are propelled into the garden to inspect and poke and prod. Exercise caution. This is a time to be gentle--soggy earth and emerging tender shoots may limit how much you can do. Still, there are plenty of rewarding tasks in this time of promise in the garden.

Soil Savers

Step lightly on your spring soil. The urge to get out and dig, rake and cultivate is fearsome, but walking on the soggy spring garden compacts the earth and destroys the structure of the soil. To be sure your soil is workable, do this simple test: grab a handful of soil and squeeze. If water runs out or the soil stays compacted in one sticky lump, your soil is too wet to work. Now's the time to make corrections if your soil is too acidic or alkaline. Kits available at garden centers can give you immediate feedback, or you can send a soil sample to your local agricultural extension service. When you attempt a correction, remember that it can take months for pH to change, depending on the type of soil.

Top-dress vegetable beds with one to two inches of compost. In tightly planted perennial beds, put a side dressing of compost next to plants as they emerge. Spread compost underneath trees and shrubs.

Mulch Madness

Get a jump on weeds and freshen utility areas and pathways with a new layer of mulch. Give the soil a chance to warm before you add mulch to areas where annuals and vegetables grow; otherwise, the growth of heat-loving plants will be slowed down. Some gardeners like to wait until the soil temperature is 55 to 60 degrees. Keep mulch away from the stems of plants to avoid critter damage and problems with rot. Pull away protective mulch from perennials when the danger of hard frost has passed.

Clean-Up Time

Once you can pick your way around the garden safely, you can start clean-up chores. Cut back ornamental grasses to make room for new growth and put the clippings in the compost pile. If the compost is wet from the winter, the grasses help fluff it up and allow more air penetration. In cold climates, many gardeners leave perennial clean-up until spring. In the winter the dead plant tops help insulate the plants. Once spring arrives, cut back last season's refuse and compost. On your spring patrols look for perennials that have been heaved out of the ground by frost. They can be gently pressed back into the ground, or you may want to add more soil to cover their exposed roots.

Forced Flowers

Many of the witchhazels (Hamamelis sp.) bloom when there is still snow on the ground. You can enjoy this display in the garden or cut branches and bring them indoors for forcing. Make sure you crush the stems with a hammer so the branches can absorb water. The warmth of your home will force cuttings to blossom weeks early. Later, add forsythia, fothergilla and daphne.

Black Gold

To double the value and volume of your compost that's still in the bin, first layer with about two inches of soil, then sow a green-manure crop like rye or oats. When the crop is about four inches tall, turn it under, and in a week or so, put this rich organic material into the garden. For even more compost power, plant nitrogen fixers such as clover and alfalfa as the green-manure crop.

Shear Delight

For most woody plants, late winter is the ideal time to prune. The plant is not under stress, and insects and disease organisms are still dormant. There are exceptions--like yellowwood, which bleeds profusely if pruned any time except in summer--so consult your garden references before proceeding.

Many roses are safely pruned when the buds begin to swell. (If you live in an area where late freezes are especially troublesome, you may want to wait.) Remove dead and diseased canes (stems), crossing branches and rose hips. Open the roses up to light and air circulation and remember to prune to an outward-facing bud so that growth is directed away from the interior of the plant.

Take Note

Wise gardeners keep a journal, and now is a great time to update it. Plant tags break and become unreadable, so at the very least keep a record of what new plants you're adding to the garden and where you put them.

Picture Perfect

Our gardens are alluring in the peak seasons, but extending the beauty through all seasons should be a goal. Take pictures of your garden in late winter and early spring. Framing and composing pictures forces us to see the gaps in our garden designs. Come fall you'll also find it handy to have records of where you need to add bulbs.

Kathy Renwald is the host of The Gardener's Journal.

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