Spring Planting Guide

Spring has sprung in Tallahassee! In addition to making interior home updates that come with spring cleaning, enhancing your home’s outdoor landscape can greatly improve its appeal, boost its value, and create a welcoming environment. Getting your garden in shape for the warmer months will guarantee your spring planting is successful. Here are a few tips and tricks for this transitional period.

Inspecting and Prepping Your Garden

Before jumping into a new round of planting, it is important to note how your garden fared throughout the winter. Given our particularly cold weeks earlier this year, it would be wise to check for ice or snow damage on your plants and see if your flower beds need cleaning. Clearing debris, such as dead leaves and fallen branches, is a good place to start as well as removing any protective winter mulch. This creates a clean slate for new growth and protects your garden from diseases and pests that may be hiding.

Testing your soil is another necessary step to ensuring your plants will thrive. It is recommended to test every 3 to 5 years to determine which nutrients your soil needs. While you can use a home test kit or get your soil tested through a local county extension office, reaching out to professional lawn specialists or soil testing companies is also an excellent option. These experts can provide a thorough analysis, helping you understand if your soil is high in phosphorus or naturally alkaline, and guide you in choosing the right fertilizers and amendments to nourish your plants.

Pruning is the next step in prepping your garden. At this time of year, summer-flowering shrubs that bloom on new wood, like hydrangeas, potentilla, and roses, should be trimmed, and any dead wood should be removed. However, avoid pruning early-flowering shrubs that bloom on old wood, such as azaleas, forsythia, and lilacs. Next, dividing perennials that have outgrown their space effectively keeps them healthy and promotes better growth. By splitting them, you not only prevent overcrowding, which can lead to competition for nutrients and water, but you also give each plant more room to thrive. Additionally, the divisions can be used to expand your garden and allow you to create new plantings. It is best to rearrange summer and fall blooming perennials in the spring so as not to disrupt their bloom cycle. Adding a fresh layer of mulch around garden beds will prevent weeds and help keep them looking polished.

Time to Plant

If you are looking to plant fruits or vegetables, it is important to consider that our weather stays mostly warm and humid throughout the year. Popular varieties that can withstand North Florida’s heat, bugs, and rain include sweet corn, tomatoes, watermelon, and cucumbers. These should be planted in spring after the last frost and will be ready for harvest by summertime. Researching how well certain plants hold up in temperatures exceeding 85 degrees will guarantee that your garden remains intact through the approaching summer months. Consider trees, flowers, and shrub species that you would like to add to your garden. These can either fill in empty spaces or replace plants from last season that perhaps did not withstand the winter frosts.

Spring in Florida is also the perfect time to plant bright annuals like petunias and marigolds. Cool-season annuals, like pansies and snapdragons, can add color and variety to your garden. These flowers do well in containers, and as our short spring transitions into the summer months, you can bring them inside to protect them from the extreme heat. Given the limitations that come with gardening in a hot climate, it may be helpful to learn about some of our native species, such as wildflowers or American holly. By incorporating native plants, you can be sure that your garden will remain hardy throughout Tallahassee’s extreme summers. As temperatures begin to steadily rise in late spring, you can begin to shop for summer annuals that are not yet in bloom.

Maintaining Your Garden

To help your spring garden thrive, research proper spacing, depth, and planting techniques for different species. For example, taller plants and vines may need stalking and support. Looking up the water schedules and fertilization needs of different varieties can help you decide which plants will be optimal for your home. Since pests can be a big obstacle when keeping a garden, prepare by creating a treatment plan should you encounter aphids, slugs, and caterpillars. If you are unsure about the design, planting, or ongoing care of your garden, hiring a landscaper can be a great choice. They can help create a personalized design, select the right plants for your space, and ensure proper planting techniques. A landscaper can also handle ongoing maintenance, like pruning, fertilizing, and pest control.

With a little time and attention, your garden can flourish this spring and beyond. By inspecting, prepping, and carefully selecting plants suited to Tallahassee’s climate, you will cultivate a brand-new landscape to revamp your home. Staying on top of maintenance and monitoring your plants’ health will undoubtedly bring your new outdoor space to life.