Before you start planting, you’ll need to whip your yard into shape. Here’s how to ensure a healthy garden:
– Clean up the yard. “Do a quick clean-up,” advises Brian Sullivan, horticultural supervisor for Descano Gardens in Souther California. “All those leaves, last year’s mulch, get rid of all that.”
– Fertilize trees, shrubs, lawn, perennials and annuals. Use a well-balanced, all-purpose fertilizer and spread it by hand or try a water-soluble fertilizer and apply it with a fertilizer injector that fits onto a garden hose nozzle. “It gets the fertilizer right into the soil,” says Kathleen Brenzel, senior garden editor for Sunset Magazine. Small perennials require different treatment, however. “I take a balanced time-release fertilizer and work it into the soil lightly with the rake.”
– Inspect sprinkler systems and flush out drip irrigation tubing.
– Conduct an inventory of your summer watering needs. “It’s a good time to think about how much water your garden is going to need,” Brenzel says.
– Check plants for aphids. Remove the critters with a blast of water from the garden hose early in the morning to avoid causing mildew. For severe infestations, use an insecticide soap.
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For long-term pest control, Brenzel suggests planting flowers, shrubs and trees that attract birds, butterflies and other natural predators that prey on plant-eating insects. “Creating a balanced ecosystem in your yard … tends to keep the pests down.”