For home gardeners, the warmer months are such a highly cherished time of year. Whether you’re cultivating annuals or perennials in garden beds or containers, there’s nothing more exciting than watching your plot of land transform into a lush flowering garden. But first, you’ll first need to set your yard up for success.
In spring, there’s a certain window of time that can make or break your summer garden. If you lay the groundwork too early, your flowers can suffer from frost damage or premature growth, but if you wait too long, you’ll miss your planting window.
To properly set the stage, you’ll need to strike while the iron is hot, which tends to be late April—the frost risk has faded, the soil is workable, plants are ready to grow, and there’s just enough time to beat weeds, pests, and summer stress. “When you thoughtfully tend to your garden in April, you’re not just checking tasks off a list—you’re giving your plants a strong root system before the heat arrives, you’re outcompeting weeds before they seed, and you’re establishing the bones and rhythm of the garden that will carry you through summer,” says Linda Vater, Oklahoma City-based garden designer and stylist and the owner of Garden Inspired Living…