Spring is quite an exciting time for gardeners with warming temperatures signaling the beginning of the planting season.

For both novice and experienced gardeners, Spring gardening is often the most satisfying time. As the weather starts to get warmer, it’s tempting to get straight back into planting, but it’s important to be aware of the variable change in growing conditions that spring is known for.

When planting your seasonal gardens, it’s important to understand the sets of conditions and factors involved in planting. Be aware that planting and transplanting during hot summer months can distress plants. Professional gardeners like me, do not recommend planting any bare-root or newly divided plants during the summer as the heat is too risky. However, you can successfully plant summer annuals, perennials or shrubs that have been grown in containers. Make sure these are heat-tolerant plants that will bloom and thrive  throughout the summer months.  The location of your plants is an important consideration for summer planting as the hot sun can scorch certain annuals. It’s important to ensure you plant these annuals in full or partial shade. It’s the perfect time to place your sun-loving bloomers in a spot where they’ll receive the most sun exposure. Heat can be a big threat to plants , so here are my three key summer planting tips to ensure you have a healthy and abundant summer garden: 1. Plant at the Start of Summer: As July and August can be too hot to plant, I advise planting your summer annuals in June. You can also plant some end-of-summer flowers that will bloom during August. Following this plan will ensure your  garden will only require maintenance and care during the hottest months and that you can simply enjoy the beauty on the hot and sunny days. 2 Water Well During Planting: Soil can dry out very quickly and these are difficult growing conditions for annual summer plants. That’s why it’s really important to water your bare soil thoroughly before planting. If you are planting annuals or transplanting them from containers, make sure you continue to water them well. Even when you’ve completed the planting, you’ll need to keep up the moisture levels as …

If you’re keen to develop your seasonal gardening skills and you want to maintain  a year-round garden, you’ll have two main activities to focus on in Autumn. The first activity is planting your cold-season plants such as shrubs, trees or hardy perennials and annuals. The second activity is that planning ahead for spring blooms by sinking in your fall bulbs. Do remember that you may only have a short window of opportunity to do this as planting needs to take place before the ground hardens or becomes too waterlogged.  It’s critical to prep your garden for Autumn, before you begin planting. An important step is to remove any signs of disease and pests. If any diseased plant matter is left in your garden, the diseases can recur in the spring and threaten your new bloom i  the spring and summer.  Here are my top three tips on how to prep your garden for Autumn and start your autumn planting: Clean and Nourish Soil: Start by digging through your beds and thoroughly removing all dead plant matter, leaves and weeds. Once all the debris has been removed, you can start to nourish and condition your soil for a healthy and abundant spring growth. You can use organix compost to feed microorganisms. Dig and rake the soil well, to allow for ample oxygenation. Plant Bulbs ready for spring: This is the time of year to plant bulbs that will bloom in the spring, because the ground is still warm enough for roots to take hold before the frost hits. You will need to work backwards from the estimated frost date as Bulb roots need six weeks to take hold. Once you’ve prepared your soil,  you will need to space your bulbs three to six inches apart and sink them in a partial …

Winter months aren’t the right time for planting, but they do provide plenty of time for soil preparation and garden maintenance.  Just like summer, winter has its unique gardening conditions. You will need to prepare for the cold-season threats to the health of your plants.  You can follow my three key tops to help maintain a healthy winter garden and ensure your spring growth thrives, 1 Manage Soil Temperature: During winter the ground freezes and hardens, so it’s really vital to keep your soil and plants protected. This allows your hardy perennials, shrubs and trees to survive the winter and helps prevent shock or stress by the fluctuations in temparature. Uneven ground temperatures is one of the major risks your plants face during winter. To help keep your soil temperatures even simply insulates the soil by spreading a thick layer of new mulch.   2 Prevent Soil Shifting: The continuous freezing and thawing can crack the frozen soil. A sufficient level of cracking can shift your bulbs and push them to the surface. You can prevent soil shifting by using evergreen boughs as a mulch layer across your bulb beds. Protect Plants from Snow Piles: Although snow piles can be a great soil insulator by acting as mulch, they can also be dangerous to branches and limbs of sensitive trees and shrubs. The weight of the snow and the freezing temperatures can cause branches to snap. If you notice snow piling up, ensure that you regularly brush off  the snow off your plants with a broom or other soft tool. You can start with the bottom brances and work your way up so that lower branches don’t accumulate further snow weight. Whilst Winter is a dormancy period for plants, but they still require regular attention. Make sure that you conduct regular …