Gardeners, the wait is finally over: it’s time to gear up and plant your springtime blooms! Those cold winter days will be a distant memory when your garden is popping with bursts of color. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, here are simple steps to get your spring plants sprouting in no time.
Prepare your space for spring plants
Before you dig in, gather up your gardening tools — if you are a novice, begin with the basics such as gloves, a shovel and a gardening trowel. Next, consider your plan of attack and ask yourself a few questions. Will you plant in the ground or containers? How much sun does your yard receive each day? This will affect your preparations since you will need different soil for a flower bed than for a flower box. Check with your local nursery if you are unsure which soil is best for your area.
Even if it’s still quite chilly, certain varieties of spring plants thrive in frostier weather. For example, pansies prefer colder weather, blooming in early spring or even at the start of autumn. You can plant these delicate-looking flowers in the ground or boxes, and they come in a rainbow of colors. It is also essential to understand where to plant your cold-weather-loving flowers. For instance, while pansies love full sun, yellow trillium is a flower that thrives in the spring shade.
A feast for the eyes
Once you have prepared to begin planting, it’s time to decide which flowers you’d like to grow. Two of the most iconic spring plants are daffodils and tulips; however, these flowers thrive the most when planted in the fall. So, if you didn’t plant these last year, make a plan for later this year. The process is relatively simple: dig five to seven inches into your soil, pop the bulb in the hole and wait for next spring.
In the meantime, there are dozens of flowers that are best planted right now. First, you will need to decide if you will grow them as seedlings or seeds. For example, primrose flowers are spring plants that provide a lovely pop of color; however, the time of year that you plant them dictates what stage in their life cycle you should plant them. If you’re planting primroses in the spring, plant them as seedlings. In the autumn, you can plant primrose seeds in the cold, fall ground. On the other hand, you can grow columbine flowers in the earth as seeds in the early spring. These bloom in a rainbow of colors, including purple, coral and red.
A feast for your taste buds
Flowers get all the glory in spring, but now’s also an excellent time to plant certain vegetable varieties. Carrots, radishes, lettuce and beans are fantastic choices to plant as seeds directly into your garden bed or in containers. These vegetables require little maintenance on your part and should be ready to eat in early summer.
You’ll need something to season your vegetables, and growing your own herbs is an easy, delicious way to do it. You can grow an herb garden indoors or plant seeds directly into the ground. For instance, chervil is a spring plant that you can sow directly into the ground, and it’ll be ready to eat about two months after planting.
As with flowers, you’ll want to do your homework for vegetables and herbs. Take basil for an example: your best bet is to plant it in an indoor container in early spring and then transplant it to the ground once the threat of frost has passed. However, cilantro loves cool weather and can be sown directly into the earth in early spring.
Gardening in the spring produces rewards for your eyes and your table. So if you’re seeking the perfect backyard for planting a garden, now is an excellent time to get pre-approved for a mortgage. The mortgage loan officers at First Centennial Mortgage understand that everyone’s ideal home is different, just like their financial situation. Contact us today to learn how we can help you finance the home (and backyard!) of your dreams.