Time for part two of my ‘mulching series’…some tips for applying mulch. I usually mulch after I have finished planting annuals…

Mulching- the ultimate finishing touch that helps make a garden look fabulous. There is a LOT to say about this topic, so I am dividing it into two parts. Let’s begin with a little primer.

It is one thing to gain a certain level of ‘control’ within the garden beds but it is another to gain control of the garden beds themselves. It is time to create a clear definition between garden and turf through the use of edging. Let’s pull out ‘that half-moon tool’ and get to work!

Actually, it’s not… but everything else is. Petals, samaras (such as the ‘helicopters’ that spin down from maple trees), spent catkins (flower clusters), fluff, even last years leaves from trees reluctant to release them last fall … everything seems to be raining down on the garden right now and it feels like all that work put into Spring clean-up was for nothing.

Growing season is well underway and it is time for some plants to get a little haircut! Think back to last season… perhaps you remember some floppy perennials in your garden? Yep- we are going to deal with those.

This week in the garden… more like this week in the garden centres. Last weekend marked the official kick-off to ‘annual planting season’. The time when a landscape gardener must put his or her entire life on hold in order frantically buy the plants she or he needs.

With the almost constant rains of April and early May finally looking like they will be subsiding, it is now time to start ‘giving back’ to our gardens.

Patience is a virtue that very few people have these days. In a world where everything is instant, I really think society is forgetting how to pause and wait for things. Fortunately there are still activities that test this dying skill… gardening is one of them!

Assessing winter damage is something we usually do (with or without realizing it) during our first frosty walk through our gardens as the snow starts to disappear. During this walk we take a mental tally of the damages…

I wrapped up my Spring clean-ups just over a week ago (yipee!) but I just wanted to dedicate one more post to the final step of my clean-ups which I term the ‘flip and fluff’. This ‘finishing touch’ step will not only make your garden look amazing…

As the snow disappears and a brown world emerges, most gardeners anxiously await the burst of green that is ushered in by warmer temperatures and Spring rains. In our area, I know many people feel that the ‘brown season’ (that period between snow melt and Spring green-up) lasts for an eternity.