All of Your Spring Garden Questions Answered!

When should you prune your garden? Where should you cut back your hydrangea? What type of fertilizer should you purchase? Do you need fertilizer? Gardening expert Erin Schanen of The Impatient Gardener is answering all of these questions for us!

Every year around this time, I spend 10 minutes Googling how to cut back my hydrangea bush. I think to myself, Is this too far? Will it grow back? I think I’m (maybe, kind of) finally getting the hang of it, but the reason I enjoy gardening is not because I’m good at it. It’s because it feels like a really fun challenge with a really big payoff!

So, no, I don’t consider myself a green thumb, but I do love plants, and I do give it my all (some years more than others). Knowing that there’s always room to, ahem, grow, I asked my friend and plant expert, Erin from The Impatient Gardener, all the questions I ask myself each spring. She’s a wealth of knowledge, and I felt ready to tackle our garden after our chat! Let’s dive in, and please ask any follow up questions you may have in the comments!

Follow along with Erin on her blog The Impatient Gardener, on Instagram @impatientgardener, and on YouTube.

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Kim: When is it the right time to cut back your garden to promote spring growth?

Erin: The good news is that there is a fair amount of latitude on this. It can be helpful for overwintering beneficial insect larvae to wait for warmer temperatures, but sometimes that’s not practical or possible, so the key thing is to cut back perennials before they start putting on real growth. They’ll grow regardless of cleanup, but it can be very difficult to tidy things up once fresh new growth starts. Work on it when it’s best for your schedule.

What’s the general rule of thumb when cutting back shrubs and woody plants such as hydrangea and rose bushes? 

It all comes down to when and how a plant blooms. Lots of shrubs, including roses and certain varieties of hydrangeas, bloom on this year’s growth, so any pruning can be done in late winter or early spring. But some shrubs such as lilacs, weigela and some hydrangeas bloom on last year’s growth, and if you prune in spring, you’ll be cutting off flowers. For these it’s best to prune right after they bloom, if at all. A quick internet search can help figure it out and when in doubt, forego pruning for a year and observe when and how the shrub blooms, so you’ll know when to prune the next year.

Is it healthy for climbing vines to be cut back all the way?

Like so much in gardening, it all depends on the specific plant. In most cases if the goal is to have a taller climbing vine, you’ll want to avoid pruning, but there are a lot of exceptions. Consider growing annual vines, such as hyacinth bean or cup and saucer vine, which will put on a huge amount of growth in one summer and then die in winter, which allows you to have a great show but not have to worry about pruning or looking at dead vines in winter.

How low should we cut back decorative grasses?

Cut them back all the way to the ground in late winter or early spring before new growth emerges.

Can you trim evergreen trees and shrubs?

In some cases yes, but you want to be cautious. Some evergreens will not put out new growth where they’ve been trimmed, although carefully hidden cuts can be made to control size or shape. Some evergreens, such as yew and boxwood can be trimmed fairly hard. Arborvitae can be trimmed on the tips, but cutting into old growth will not allow regrowth. 

Is this a good time of year to split hostas or similar hearty plants?

You can divide perennials anytime, but fall is an optimal time, when plants aren’t expending energy on new growth, but the soil is warm enough to help the roots establish. Spring, just when plants are waking up, is probably the second best time. If you divide plants in summer you’ll have to be a bit more attentive with water.

Is this an appropriate time to fertilize, and if so, is there any tip for choosing the right fertilizer?

Spring is a great time to fertilize plants that can benefit from it. Plants that produce an abundance of flowers or put on a lot of growth in the season will benefit from a balanced fertilizer. Look for something with the three numbers (which stand for the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) the same or close for a balanced feed. Specialized fertilizers for particular types of plants can help promote flowers or fruit. Organic fertilizers are slower acting but longer lasting and are less likely to cause damage if over applied. It’s worth noting, however, that not all plants need fertilizer! Ornamental grasses and plants whose native range is the prairie, as well as some other plants, can get leggy or flop if they’ve been fertilized.

When/should we mulch to protect new growth?

Mulching with an organic mulch such as arborist chips (the shredded chips left after tree removal), shredded bark, pine straw or last fall’s leaves can help reduce weeds and retain moisture, and will break down over time. It’s important to keep mulch pulled away from the crown of plants or tree trunks by about two inches, as it can lead to rot or fungal issues. Organic mulches that will break down into an excellent soil amendment are the best choices for mulch.

Is there anything we could do to a perennial that could potentially harm the plant? Because if so, we want to avoid it all costs!

Plants are resilient and programmed to grow, so as long as you give them the conditions they like (check the plant tag for information on sun exposure and soil needs), they should do well. But people can “over love” their plants, giving them too much water or fertilizer, neither of which is good for the long-term health of the plant. Trees, shrubs and perennials should be babied a little the first year, which mostly means making sure they get an inch of water a week, either through rainfall or supplemental watering. It’s better to water deeply less often than water a little bit frequently. Once established, they should more or less take care of themselves.

It’s best not to fertilize most trees and shrubs their first year because it’s important that their energy goes into growing roots, not top growth. The exception to this is possibly a root-stimulating fertilizer. Annual plants, plants that complete their life cycle in one year, need different treatment – provide consistent water and fertilizer, because their job is to put on a great show for one year. 

Thank you, Erin! You can find Erin on her blog The Impatient Gardener, on Instagram @impatientgardener, and on YouTube.

PS: Looking for more outdoorsy inspiration? Here’s a tired shed that received a head-to-toe makeover on a budget, a DIY trellis to try, and a jumbo Jenga set to play on a sunny day.

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