Late Spring Gardener’s Calendar

As the weather warms and spring arrives in full force, it’s the perfect time to tackle essential tasks in your garden, lawn, and landscape beds. From enriching your soil and fertilizing perennials to controlling weeds and preparing for a bountiful growing season, here’s your complete spring garden care guide to ensure vibrant flowers, healthy lawns, and productive vegetable gardens.

1. Enrich and Prepare Garden Soil

Start the season by turning over your vegetable garden soil and enriching it with organic matter. Add humus, mushroom compost, or well-aged manure to improve structure, water retention, and nutrient levels. For existing perennial beds or newly prepared planting areas, this foundational step sets the stage for vigorous plant growth.

2. Fruit Tree Maintenance and Protection

Apply Bonide Fruit Tree Spray as buds begin to swell and repeat the application at petal drop. This treatment helps protect apple, peach, plum, and other fruit trees from common pests and diseases during early growth stages.

3. Fertilize Perennials and Flowering Plants

Boost perennial growth by fertilizing with Dr. Earth Rose & Flower Fertilizer. This organic formula supports strong blooms and healthy root systems in flowering plants, including roses and ornamental shrubs.

4. Spring Cleanup and Bed Preparation

Continue spring cleanup by:

  • Removing all winter mulch from beds.
  • Cultivating to eliminate winter weeds and debris.
  • Edging garden beds for a crisp, finished look.

Prepare your annual flower beds now and refresh your landscape with shredded mulch, bark chips, or gravel to maintain moisture and suppress weed growth.

For added weed control:

  • Apply Preen or Corn Gluten Meal and scratch it into the soil.
  • Or, try Preen Mulch Plus, a combination product that provides mulch and up to 6 months of pre-emergent weed protection.

5. Planting and Transplanting

Now is the time to plant or transplant:

  • Trees and shrubs, including flowering types and evergreens.
  • Roses, ground covers, and perennials, such as hardy lilies and lily-of-the-valley.

6. Lawn Care: Seeding, Sodding, and Fertilizing

  • Seed or sod new lawns and repair bare spots in existing lawns.
  • Keep soil moist until grass seedlings emerge, and mow once new grass reaches 3 inches.
  • Apply a second treatment of Team or Tupersan for pre-emergent goosegrass and crabgrass control, especially important for newly seeded lawns.

7. Vegetable and Herb Gardening

  • Transplant cool-season seedlings into garden beds.
  • When soil temperatures reach 60°F, begin sowing warm- and cool-season vegetables and herb seeds directly into the soil.

8. Bulb Maintenance

  • After spring bulbs finish blooming, dig and divide crowded bulbs.
  • Fertilize with compost, manure, or Espoma Bulb-Tone to rejuvenate the soil.
  • Deadhead spent flowers, but leave foliage intact until it fully yellows. This helps the bulb store energy for next season’s blooms.

9. Pruning and Plant Support

  • Prune spring-flowering shrubs and trees (like forsythia) after blooming has ended.
  • Prune new growth on needled evergreens to encourage compact form.
  • Install gro-thru plant supports or link stakes around peonies, ornamental grasses, and other tall perennials to keep them upright.

10. Pest and Disease Management

  • Inspect arborvitae, cedar, juniper, spruce, and pine trees for bagworms. Hand-pick visible bags and treat with Ortho Systemic Insecticide as needed.
  • For spider mite damage, use Bayer 3-in-1 Insect, Disease & Mite Control, alternating every 7–10 days with Bonide All-Season Oil Spray to manage populations effectively.

11. Rose and Shrub Fertilization

Begin your summer rose care program, which includes:

  • Deadheading spent blooms,
  • Spraying for insects and disease,
  • Regular watering.

Fertilize:

  • Roses with Bayer All-In-One Rose and Flower Care or Dr. Earth Rose and Flower Fertilizer.
  • Azaleas, rhododendrons, and hollies with Espoma Holly-Tone or Dr. Earth Azalea/Camellia Fertilizer.
  • Fruit trees with Dr. Earth Tomato and Vegetable Fertilizer to boost productivity.

12. Dividing Perennials

After flowering, dig and divide early-blooming perennials to improve vigor and fill in sparse areas of your garden.

13. Correct Iron Deficiencies

If your evergreens or acid-loving plants show signs of chlorosis (yellowing leaves), apply Encap Fast Acting Iron Plus or Bonide Liquid Iron Plus to:

  • Azaleas
  • Hollies
  • Junipers
  • Laurels
  • Pines
  • Rhododendrons
  • Spruce

This restores iron levels, promoting lush, green foliage.

14. Container and Hanging Basket Care

  • Fertilize weekly with Master Nursery Bud and Bloom Plant Food or choose Dynamite All Purpose Plant Food for season-long feeding.
  • Monitor watering needs closely, especially for hanging baskets and container plants, which dry out quickly on warm days.

By following these spring garden maintenance tips, you'll ensure a vibrant, healthy, and low-maintenance outdoor space throughout the growing season. Whether you're focused on blooming flowers, lush lawns, or fruitful vegetable harvests, this comprehensive guide will help you stay on track for a successful gardening season.

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