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Follow these five tips and you'll have a garden that looks great, but also yields great returns.
1. Clean and prune
Give each of your planting areas a fresh start by cleaning any leftover fall/winter debris and performing proper plant maintenance. Martha Stewart recommends removing “dead, damaged, and diseased branches from woody plants and thinning and trimming summer-blooming shrubs.”
Most perennials need some amount of pruning to keep them coming back beautifully year after year. Pruning should be done at the intersection of branches and cut off branches that may rub against each other. Trees also need a snip here and there to stay healthy and look their best. Clean out and prepare annual planters and remember to sweep and spruce up outdoor living areas.
2. Improve soil
For healthy, beautiful plants, you need healthy soil. To add nutrients to your soil, mix in high quality compost, such as Oakdell's compost, the official compost of Thanksgiving Point Gardens. While other products are filled with lots of wood chips, this compost is rich in nutrients and essential organic matter to help vegetables, trees and lawns grow beautifully. It's the only certified organic compost in Utah and its chemical-free, so it's safe to use even with little ones running around — children or pets. And because it's fully composted it has a fresh earthy smell.
Adding good compost each year improves soil quality, reduces soil compaction, helps soil retain water and decreases the need for fertilizer.
Photo credit: Oakdell
3. Make a plan
When cleaning the yard and applying compost, take time to plan the garden. Write down what will be planted, where and when, and keep records of plant needs and maintenance.
If you’d like to try something new, such as a perennial bed, make the necessary preparations. Organize tools, planters, outdoor living areas and vegetable garden cages or trellises.
Better Homes & Gardens suggests taking “digital photos of your garden throughout the year to document bloom times, color combinations, and top performing vegetables and flowers.”
4. Tend to tools
Check to make sure you have everything needed for planting and maintenance, and replace missing or broken tools.
Clean, oil or sharpen tools and have the lawn mower serviced, if needed. According to Bob Vila’s website, “Maintaining your garden tools will ensure that any chore you complete gets done with the highest potential for accuracy and precision.”
5. Plant and enjoy
Margaret Atwood said, “In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” With everything ready, it’s time to plant. Buy annuals, new perennials or trees, and vegetable garden plants.
Photo credit: Oakdell
Follow growing instructions and plant away. Then sit back and watch — when you’re not weeding, of course — as everything grows into a beautiful garden.
