Spring brings anticipation of new beginnings, new adventures and an almost uncontrollable desire to spend more time outside, whether to enjoy a cup of coffee or entertain family and friends.
On the Coast, nurseries and home improvement stores are filled with color, beauty and new plant varieties. If you’re like me, it’s difficult not to pick up a few new plants to brighten your patio or deck.
Our gardens and outdoor spaces enhance our surroundings and lend joy to our lives. Are you happy with your piece of paradise?
If you have big dreams for your garden but aren’t sure where to start, here are some ways to help make them a reality:
TAKE INVENTORY
To jumpstart spring, take a quick tour around your garden. Don’t forget to bring a notebook and pen to jot down what you want to change, and consider the following points:
- Are there “holes” in your landscape where shrubs or trees succumbed to last summer’s drought?
- Do some of your plants need pruning?
- Have you always wanted to try growing vegetables or fruit?
- Do your perennials leave you wanting more color or more blooms?
- Are there months where not much is blooming, usually during our hot summers?
Once you make note of what needs to be improved, prioritize the list and begin.
THINK STRATEGICALLY
Let’s consider a few things you can do rather quickly and affordably to enhance your garden. One thing I am working toward is increasing the length of time I have plants in bloom. It’s easy to plan for one season of interest or bloom; it’s more involved to plan for multi-seasonal blooms. When you’re picking what to plant, consider these factors:
- Early spring flowers such as daffodils and tulips need to have been planted late fall or winter, but they can be purchased already blooming and be repotted in your own planters or decorative containers.
- Since it’s still cool at night, spring plants are still available. These include candytuft. dianthus, kale, pansy, petunia, roses, snapdragon and verbena. Although these will fade as temperatures rise, they bring a wealth of color and texture to the architectural greenery in our gardens.
- Late spring and early summer gardens need plants that can withstand higher temperatures and possibly dryer conditions. Plants that require full sun can scorch in south Mississippi heat. They may need to be placed in partial shade or in an area that receives afternoon shade.
Full sun (six-plus hours a day) plants include ageratum, amaranthus, cosmos, marigolds, nicotiana, salvia, wax begonia, iris, society garlic, sweet pea and rudbeckia. Shade plants include astilbe, caladium, canna, coleus, ferns, hosta and impatiens.
- Want to grow a few vegetables? It’s easy to add some within your flower beds. You also can build a raised bed or use a large pot on your patio to grow a few herbs or tomatoes.
- If you’re a nature enthusiast, think about adding a water source, food, shelter, and plants that attract pollinators and birds. The water source can be a birdbath, a “bubbler” fountain or a small pond. Bird feeders are a wonderful addition to any backyard. Shelters can be a brush pile hidden behind a shrub, a bird house or nesting materials placed where birds can find them and use then to complete their nests.
Even a few plants that support pollinators are beneficial to butterflies, bees and moths. Plants that will attract and feed pollinators include asters, bee balm, coreopsis, echinacea, goldenrod, joe pye weed, liatris, milk weed and penstemon.
