Spring Clean Your Garden

The temperatures rise and the windows fly open. The mop comes out, walls are washed, and rugs get beat, all in the name of spring cleaning. Your garden needs a good cleaning, as well, to keep pests, disease, and bacteria from spreading. From planters to flower bed edging, you must eliminate problems before they start.

Clean Containers To Remove Bacteria
Begin with the planters you fill each year with those beautiful annuals. Dump the dirt and wash the containers. Use a mixture of soapy water and bleach to get rid of dirt build-up and bacteria. Allow the container to dry and refill with a sterile planting medium. Your plants get a fresh start, minus pests and disease. Don't stop with sterilizing your planters. Wash your hanging pots, window boxes, and seed starter trays to remove excess salt and mineral build-up.

Keep The Edges Clear
Move over to the flower beds and check the edging. Replace broken or worn edging and scrub nonporous edging using bleach and warm, soapy water. Clean wooden, clay, or brick edging the same way but finish with a water-proof sealer. Let the edging dry and put it back in place.

While you are checking the garden edging, trim back any shrubs, vines, or plants that are sneaking into the lawn. Remove any plants that are dead or diseased. If your perennials produced plenty of leaves last year but a low bloom count, or the flowers were smaller, divide the plants or bulbs. Plant them where they have plenty of room to grow.

Don't Forget The Little Things
Rake up the leaves, twigs and other debris from the flower beds and the lawn. Tidy up the compost pile. Check the garden hose and repair it or buy another one for when the summer dry period hits. Empty out the fire pit or fire ring. Don't forget about any water features you may have in your garden, including bird baths. Scrub away any mold or algae that may spread disease. Refill with fresh spring water. Tap water and well water may contain minerals that could harm your plants or fish.

You're Not Done
Once you have everything just the way you want it, and the yard and flower beds look fantastic, look up. Take a good look at your trees. Dead and dying branches need removed or they could come crashing down in the middle of a summer storm. If you feel comfortable using a chainsaw, cut out any infected limbs and thin out the inner branches to improve air circulation and sunlight. For trees located around power lines or extremely tall, contact a professional tree trimming service to do the job.

A day of spring cleaning your landscape saves money and gives your plants a healthier place to thrive.