Winter Prep for a Spring Garden [Infographic]

Morgan Murray http://www.craigmanor.co.uk 4m 1,079 #garden

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

Preparing a Spring Garden for Winter

Let it be any part of the world, nurturing a garden is always a special thing for most. Each flower, leaf and root gives a sense of belongingness to its curator. In addition, the marvellous moment of hummingbird wandering at your place is splendid. However, to have these fruits of nature, it’s essential to take care of the botany. It’s not a challenging task for an enthusiast or expert, but setting up a garden for spring can be quite demanding. Let’s have a quick look at tips for preparing garden for spring.

1. Learning in Detail: It’s not tough for a specialist to understand what grows well in his or her climate. In other cases, the knowledge can be obtained by few unsuccessful attempts as well. However, it’s also essential to read about best plant, transplant, cultivate and harvest before groundwork. Information like ‘how to grow different seeds in a particular climate’ can be made available from blogs, articles eBooks, websites etc.
2. Map the Garden: The term sound’s a bit too specialized isn’t it. However, you need not be an expert in mapping the garden; it’s just to have an idea about the space you are planning to plant. It’s essential to have light, water, soil, and space under check while preparing a garden for spring. It’s also better to decide on the water source and mark it on the map as well. Mapping really helps in utilizing the resources accurately.
3. Organize Seeds: Once you have figured out the seeds to plant according to the climatic condition it’s time to organize them. It’s recommended to organize boxes of the seeds primarily. Then after categorizing the seeds as greenhouse seeds to be later transplanted, and others that could be directly sown in the fields. It’s also suggested to organize seeds as per the dates of planting.

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Winter Prep for a SPRING GARDEN

THE FOUR primary necessities for a successful garden.

1. Light: Assess any large items in your garden that block sunlight, i.e. a shed or tree. Do they need cutting back or moving?
2. Water: Water butts are a frugal way to ensure your garden stays hydrated. They collect rainfall and are environmentally friendly. The water is also better for your plants than tap water.
3. Soil:
   1. Prepapre by turning the soil, digging 6-12 inches deep.
   2. Add organic matter – compost, rotting manure, or dead leaves will work.
   3. When the weather starts to warm and the soil begins to dry, down the top layer into a fine crumble with a rake.
4. Space: Clean up flower beds, borders, and overgrown shrubs and fix any fences, gates, and trellis.

YOUR ESSENTIAL guide to preparing your garden for Spring

1. Map your garden

• We’re not talking blueprints here, just a good idea about the space you are planning to plant in.
• Measure and draw as close to scale as you can.
• Using the four primary necessities for a successful garden, determine the range of these in your planting area, so you can choose plants that are best suited to that area.
• Determine your water source.
• Work out which way is east, so you can understand how the sun will move through the garden during the day.
• Draw in any large items (like a shed or tree), that could cause shade during the day.
• Consider your soil – how will you keep it healthy and productive?

2. Make a seed graph

This is very useful

SEED GRAPH

Type eg Peas, Herbs, Tomatoes.

Variety eg Sugar, Snap, Tarragon, Beefsteak.

Source The shop and make.

Stock # Usually found on the back of the packet.

Quantity eg 3 packets.

When to plant Inside/Outside Time of year.

When to Harvest Look at the date of maturity on the seed packets and calculate when harvesting time should be, from planting date.

Notes Anything else that you think is relevant to note.

3. Organise

It will help when it comes to planting to organize your seeds by planting date and by those you need to plant inside first and then transplant outside later.

4. Audit

Go through your gardening equipment and check that everything is in good working order. Give your tools a good clean to prevent rust and damage. Make sure you have everything you need to start planting when the time comes.

HOW BEST to plant different types of bulbs

5 cm Begonia

8 cm Snakes Head Fritillary

10 cm Iris Reticulata

10 cm Bluebell

10 cm Hyacinth

10 cm Daffodil

15 cm Tulip

20 cm Tree Lilly

Did you know? Quality Street wrappers are compostable! Chuck them on your compost heap!

5 PRETTY plants that are easy to grow in spring.

1 PANSY

Loves cool weather. One of the best flowers to plant in spring for early-season containers and window boxes.

Name

Viola x wittrockiana

Growing conditions

Sun or part shade and moise, well-drained soil

Size

Up to 10 inches tall and 12 inches wide

2 Yellow Trillium

Likes the shade. Once its flowers die back at the season’s end in June, the foliage recedes, too. Marbled leaves and delicate yellow-white blooms are a lovely sight in April.

Name

Trillium luteium

Growing conditions

Shade and moist, well-drained soil

Size

Up to 16 inches tall and 12 inches wide

3 Snowdrop Anemone

Delightfully perfumed, the bright bunches of snowdrop anemone are happy in a touch of shade and can withstand slightly cooler temperatures.

Name

Anemone nemorosa

Growing conditions

Full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil

Size

Up to 6 inches tall and 12 inches wide

4 Daffodil

It wouldn’t be spring without Daffodils! Bright, happy and they come in a range of colours, shapes, and sizes.

Name

Narcissus selections

Growing conditions

Full sun and well-drained soil

Size

Up to 1 foot tall and wide

5 Double Rock Rose

Rock rose appears later in the spring, but they’re worth the wait. Lots of pretty petals on low-growing shrubs provide a stunning appeal that will last into the summer months.

Name

Helianthemum ‘Annabel’

Growing conditions

Full sun and well-drained soil

Size

Up to 1 foot tall and 2 feet wide

OTHER THINGS to do in the garden during winter

• Check the security of your shed – especially important when you visit it less often.
• Clean out bird baths and bird tables.
• Hang fat balls and keep bird feeders topped up.
• Buy or build a compost bin.
• Plant bulbs in large pots of compost, ready to fill any gaps in spring borders.

Source: http://www.craigmanor.co.uk/preparing-your-garden-for-spring/

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