After Planting, It's Time to Care

by Amanda

Now that most of the country has done their first round of planting for the spring, it is essential to care for your plants properly to ensure they grow and bloom to their fullest potential. Follow these simple steps throughout the season and your plants will certainly thank you with gorgeous, prolific growth!

Water. This may seem like an obvious step, but many gardeners (including myself) forget how imperative it is to water plants, especially in their first season. Plants that are more established in the garden require less water, but should still be monitored regularly if you are experiencing dry weather.

Fertilize. You will want to feed your plants once a year to make sure they are receiving the proper nutrients. Fertilizing will also promote larger, healthier blooms. We recommend using an organic flower fertilizer, bulb fertilizer, or a good-quality compost.

Divide. It is essential, once your perennials grow large enough, to divide them and replant. You will notice them getting extremely dry in the center or starting to flop over – This is a good sign that they are ready for division. We recommend doing this either in the early spring or in the fall, once the plant has finished growing for the season. Once replanted, we recommend watering thoroughly
and adding fertilizer or compost in to help the newly divided
plants acclimate to their new spot in the garden.

Deadhead/Weed. As your plants grow and bloom, it is important to remove fading blooms as soon as possible. This helps the plant to put energy into producing more blooms, and will also make your garden look better. We also recommend weeding throughout the season to make sure weeds do not take over or steal energy from your precious plants.

Move and Replace Plants. Even with proper care and love, nature will inevitably take a few of your plants. It is important to monitor which plants are doing well and which plants aren’t, and to try plants in different areas if they are not thriving.

If plants die, try doing a soil test and determining the type of soil. Then, try replanting a different type of plant in the same area that will do well with your soil type. Helpful Hint: our website filters allow you to enter details such as soil type when shopping for plants!

Following these simple, quick steps will help your garden flourish both this season and next. What are some of your favorite care tips? Please feel free to leave a comment below.

Happy Gardening!