When Selecting Plants For Your Butterfly Garden 

Always Choose Plants With Wide Flat Clusters Of

Brightly Coloured Fragrant Flowers Not All Of The Plants In Your Garden Have To Be Specific To The Butterflies In Your Area

Butterflies Are Attracted To Bright Colours

 So Always Consider This When You’re Choosing Plants

Butterflies Especially Like 

Purple - Pink - Orange - Yellow Flowers

However Some Butterflies Can’t See The Colour Red

So Be Sure That’s Not The Only Colour You Plant

Also The Fragrance Of The Flowers Will Also Help Attract

The Butterflies To The Garden

Follow This Spring Gardening Checklist

For A Gorgeous Landscape All Year Round…

YOUR GARDEN Is Waking Up & You're In Charge!

It's Time To Start Planting, Pruning & Preparing Your Flower Beds…

Just Like Giving Your House A Good Spring Clean To Help Freshen It Up After A Long Winter…

You Can Take A Similar Approach To Your Garden & Yard

To Get It Back In Shape For The Warmer Months Ahead

It Can Be A Little Overwhelming To Tackle All The Work

That Needs To Be Done For A Picture Perfect Spring Landscape…

Use The Below Checklist To Help Pace Yourself As You Get Your Flower Beds, Trees, Shrubs

& Other Areas Of Your Yard Cleaned Up

The Following Garden Tips Are Broken Down Into Early, Mid & Late Spring

So You Can Plan Out Your Garden Clean Up Tasks

& Tackle Each Area Of Your Landscape Before Summer Arrives…

EARLY-SPRING 

1. CLEAN UP FLOWER BEDS

Clear Away Dead Leaves Or Any Other Debris From Winter Storms From The Soil Surface

Where You Are Planning To Plant Annual Flowers & Veggies

Remove Protective Winter Mulch From Around Perennials & Ornamental Grasses

Hedge Trimmers Make It Easy To Give Grass Clumps A Clean Even Look

Cut Back Last Year's Dried Foliage & Remember To Wear Gardening Gloves

Especially When Working With Plants With Prickly Leaves

To Keep Your Hands Protected From Cuts & Scrapes…

2. DIVIDE PERENNIALS

A Good Time To Divide Many Perennials Is Just Before Their Spring Growth Has Begun

Dividing Perennials Is A Budget-Friendly Way 

To Fill Your Garden With More Plants Or Share Them With Friends

It's Also Good For Keeping Your Existing Perennials Healthy

Sometimes If Your Plants Grow In A Large Clump, The Middle Can Thin Out

After A Few Years Leaving A Bare Spot, Dividing The Clump Will Encourage New Growth…

3. ADD FRESH MULCH AROUND PERENNIALS

One Of The Easiest Ways To Make Your Garden & Yard Look Polished

Is To Add A Fresh Layer Of Mulch To Garden Beds

This Also Helps The Soil Retain Moisture For Your Plants & Keeps Down Weeds

It Often Takes More Mulch Than It Seems To Cover A Bed, So It's A Good Idea

To Get A Little More Than You Think You'll Need

Spread Mulch Evenly With Your Gloved Hands Or Use A Rake

Being Careful Not To Layer It On Too Thickly Around Your Plants

Because This Could Cause Problems Such As Diseases

Keeping The Layer Level Also Helps It Stay In Place

Whenever It Rains Heavily Or Is Windy

If You Have Downspouts That Tend To Wash Away Mulch

One Quick Fix Is To Remove Mulch Where Rainwater Empties & Replace It With River Rocks…

4. PRUNE TREES AND SHRUBS

Now Is The Time To Trim Fruit Trees If You Didn't Prune In Winter

Prune Before Buds Begin To Break Into Bloom Or You'll Stress The Tree

& Will Get A Tiny Crop Or Possibly None At All

It's Also A Good Time To Prune Summer-Blooming Trees & Shrubs,

Like Potentilla And Butterfly Bush, Just Before They Push Out New Growth…

5. PERFORM BASIC MAINTENANCE OF HARDSCAPING

Check Stonework For Frost Heaves, Particularly In Paths & Edging

Check The General Condition Of Your Deck Or Patio And Make Any Needed Repairs

Clean Off Outdoor Furniture So It's Ready When You Are 

For Relaxing After A Busy Day In The Garden…

6. PLANT VEGGIES

Time To Plant Hardy Cool-Season Vegetables, Like Potatoes, Artichokes, Peas, & Some Lettuces

These Vegies Germinate Best In Cool Soil

So Plant Them In Early Spring Once The Soil Has Thawed

They Should Be Ready To Harvest By Early Summer…

MID-SPRING 

Halfway Through The Spring Season,

You Should Start Seeing Your Spring Landscape Take Shape

As More & More Bulbs, Perennials, Shrubs, & Trees Start Growing Again

Even Blooming With Most Of The Clean Up Done

You Can Get Started On Adding New Plants To Your Garden…

1. CLEAN BIRD FEEDERS

Some People Like To Take Down Their Bird Feeders In Mid-Spring

If You Want To Leave Them Up All Year Round

Now's A Good Time To Take Them Down, Wash Them Out

& Fill Them Up With Fresh Seed For Spring…

MAKE NOTES AS YOU WATCH THE SPRING SHOW

Some Of Your Spring Bulbs Should Be Starting To Flower

Enjoy The Blooms, And Take Note Of Any Empty Spots

Of Where You Want To Plant Bulbs Later In Our Autumn Season...

3. PLANT NEW PERENNIALS AND COLD-HARDY ANNUALS

Freshly Planted Perennials Need A Little Time To Get Settled & Grow New Roots

Before The Hot Summer Weather Hits

For Some Quick Colour, Add A Few Cool-Season Annuals

Like Pansies Or Snapdragons Around Your Yard

These Perennials Also Work Well In Containers

To Brighton Up Your Front Porch Or Your Entertaining Alfresco Areas...

4. ADD NEW TREES AND SHRUBS

Plant As Soon As The Ground Isn't Frozen Anymore From Our Cold Winter

The Earlier You Can Do This The Better

So Your Trees And Shrubs Have Enough Time To Grow New Roots

Before Temperatures Start Getting Hot…

5. APPLY MULCH 

Once You're Finished Planting,

Add A Fresh Layer Of Mulch Around All Your New Plants

If You Mulch Now Before Weeds Have A Chance To Sprout

You'll Have Next To No Weeding Come Summer…

LATE SPRING

In Late Spring, You Can Start Cleaning Up Flowers

That Have Already Bloomed

It's Also Time To Get Planting In Earnest To Fill Out Your Garden…

1. DEADHEAD BULBS

Remove Dead Blossoms From Spring Flowering Bulbs

This Encourages The Plants To Store Energy For Next Year

Rather Than Use It To Make Seeds, Be Sure To Let The Foliage Die Back On Its Own

Without Removing It Until It Is Completely Yellow Or Dried Up…

2. SHOP FOR SUMMER ANNUALS

Time To Select A Variety Of Your Favourite Summer Annuals 

Like Petunias, Impatiens, And Zinnias

Remember To Pick Ones That Aren't In Bloom Yet For Stronger Plants…

3. START WARM-SEASON VEGGIES

While You're Harvesting The Radishes & Lettuces You Sowed Earlier In The Spring

You Can Transplant Seedlings Of Warm Season Crops

Like Tomatoes, Peppers, And All Sorts Of Herbs…

4. PLANT SUMMER-BLOOMING BULBS

While Spring-Blooming Bulbs Should Be Planted In The Autumn

Summer-Blooming Bulbs Like Dahlias And Gladiolus Should Be Planted

Once There's No More Threat Of Frost

Check Your Area's Average Last Frost Date For A General Idea Of When To Plant These Bulbs

Then Get Them In The Ground After The Last Frost Once The Ground Has Warmed Up.

With Your Spring Landscaping Checklist

You'll Have One Of The Best-Looking Gardens On The Block…

While There Are Still A Few Maintenance Chores You Should Do Every Season

Once You Power Through These Tasks Early On…

You'll Have More Time To Kick Back And Enjoy Your Landscape Over The Summer…