New creature added to the magical community-tensions are high.
Little bundles of happiness are being delivered everywhere to stores near you-promising green, verdant feasts for the eyes. Colorful blooms are sleeping indoors and sunning themselves on store racks during the day and it is so so tempting to gather them all up in your arms and whisper- I’ll make a home for you, I have friends you’d be happy to shelter next to-we can make this forbidden -pre last frost love work, I know we can.
BUT HOLD…………….ON………..JUST A LITTLE BIT LONGER NOW DARLIN…………
After Mother’s Day, is the usual last frost marker but i’m not a total prude…. I like to start planting in the 7A, the second week in April with abandon and a lit bit of caution. So what should we do now?
I’m so glad you asked!
CLEAN UP, CLEAN UP, EVERYBODY CLEAN UP!
They call it Spring cleaning for a reason! Use that pent up winter energy to get yourself ready for when the real Spring arrives. Some items to tend to:
If you have a fairy garden it’s going to need a little fluff. I had a small gnome crumble to a pile of rubble. Get the leaves out of there and add some new friends to your burgeoning community. We had to completely redo the pool area and Jeremiah, my 10 year old, did a pretty amazing job!
- Give your porch, walkway, deck and patio a good sweep with a blower and a broom. Pollen isn’t out in full swing so wait to pressure wash!
-Clip off any dead perennial growth that is not coming back. Remove any last season annuals from containers. Make way for the new plants you want to buy in those containers. If your pots are empty or the dirt has seen better days, make sure you clean them out prior to a new planting. Take stock of which pots need more soil, prune any evergreens in pots to get them ready for new friends-everybody likes a fresh cut.
-Make a list of plants in planters or in the ground that may not have made it and will need replaced. Take stock of what you have and what you need. You may have extra potting soil just waiting for you in the garage. You may need to purchase a new set of planters or replace one that got damaged.
-Clean up your flower beds from leaves and debris and tuck everybody in with some fresh mulch. Re-edge a flower bed if the boundary needs freshening up. Get to the weeds while you’re on the phone with your bestie talking about all the things. Set a timer. 15 minutes goes a long way and new plants won’t have to compete with soil space.
-Check your seed packets- some things like the cool of March! so you can direct sow certain seeds.
-Clean your garage or shed out, sell or donate unneeded items. Get anything sharpened that needs it!
-Tend to any needed projects you let go of because of the winter. Need a hose? Hose nozzle broken? Want to open that window but need a screen- now is the time to get your ducks in a row so you can enjoy the beauty of the season when it arrives!
-If you just can’t help yourself plant some pansies!
If you want some help making your garden, outdoor spaces or containers shine don’t forget to reach out to Su Su’s Petals!
SM