More Spring Work

Wiese Acres North Yard

This is the only time of year that I kind of wish I didn't live at Wiese Acres.  Just a little bit.  Cleaning the winter debris off the gardens is my least favorite part of gardening, but doing it right is so critical to the success of the gardening season.   I'm taking today off from work at my job to finish up the cleaning work in the gardens so I can start on things I like to do - like planting, dividing, getting the garden decor out, and firing up the water features.

One of the first things I will do after the cleaning is finished is divide any summer or fall blooming perennials that are getting overgrown.  These were marked last fall because I don't always remember when that cute little clump appears in the spring that it had turned into a giant by mid-summer last year.  The rule of thumb is that fall and summer blooming plants are best divided in early spring, and spring blooming plants are best divided in fall.  Daylilies and iris prefer to be divided in August, here in the midwest.

I'll also be preparing the sites to plant my new perennials that are arriving in the mail on an almost daily basis now.  I will "harden" the plants off a bit in the greenhouse before I plant them in the gardens.  We are still having some very cool nights and a hard freeze could damage their tender foliage.  The process of hardening them off a bit more and giving Mother Nature a little extra time to get her spring act together this year will be helpful.  It also will give me a little more time before I need to turn the water on in the irrigation system so there is less worry about a hard freeze damaging the lines.

Newly planted or transplanted perennials need sufficient water, even if they are drought tolerant plants.  No plant is truly drought tolerant until it is well established, usually after the first year or two of growth.  Prior to that, they will require one-half to one inch of water each week.  I'll also spread a layer of compost, topped by organic mulch, around my new plants to keep the moisture more consistent and to keep the roots cooler as the summer heat sets in.

Cleaning and dividing will keep me busy for awhile!