ASSESSING THE SPRING GARDEN

April is a busy month for most gardeners. Its time to get out and assess our gardens. I enjoy walking around my perennial beds each morning to see what new plants have awoken from their winters nap, and are peaking out through the soil. If your beds have not been cleaned up, its time to do so. Remove any dead foliage that you did not cut back last fall. its also time to cut back any ornamental grasses in your garden to about 6 inches from the ground. Pull out any early weeds that are trying to get established in your garden. Be careful not to disturb areas where plants that emerge late as resting, such as butterfly weed and perennial Hibiscus. 

If you plan to create a new perennial bed this year, now is a good time to begin preparing the site. Remember, perennials plants remain in the place you have put them. They are dependent on you to provide them with a site which provides them with all of their needs. The performance of most plants will reflect how well their needs are met. If you create a site that meets all these necessities before planting you will be repaid many times over. Here are some tips. 

Get to know your soil. Soil is a mixture of organic matter, air, water, living organisms and minerals. A healthy soil will have the appropriate balance of each. 

One of the most important considerations is soil texture. While nutrition can be manipulated after planting by addition of fertilizer, texture is difficult to alter in an established bed. Soil texture influences drainage, water holding capacity, and compaction, all very important aspects for healthy root growth. So if you are preparing a new site, begin by assessing the texture of your soil. You can assess your soil by grabbing a fistful of moist soil and squeezing it into a ball. If it doesn't hold together very well and feels gritty and coarse, your soil is high in sand. Soils high in sand will drain well but dry out quickly. Nutrients also wash out readily and are thus not available to plants.
If it feels slippery, and you can roll it into shapes in the palms of your hands you may a soil high in clay content. Clay particles are very fine. Soils high in clay feel sticky and cake on shoes and tools. They do not drain well and are easily compacted making it difficult for roots to 'breathe' and grow. 

If your handful of soil holds its shape briefly and then slowly crumbles apart, you have a soil with a good mixture of minerals. 

Unfortunately, this is not generally the case. But the solution is simple...amend your soil with organic matter. 

Amend your soil
The ideal soil for most perennials is deep and porous, neither holding too much water nor drying out too quickly. Most perennials prefer soils rich in humus - decomposed organic matter. The more organic matter you can add to your bed the happier your plants will be. You can not add too much. Just be sure that you use material that is well aged or composted. Ideally add one-third volume of organic material to one volume of soil to be amended. Adding it to sandy soils increases the soil's capacity to hold water and nutrients. Organic matter loosens clay and creates pockets for air and water. it also nurtures the populations of microorganisms, insects and worms that make their home in the soil. 

Many topes of organic matter are readily available for your use. Basically they all come from living organisms. You can purchase bagged or bulk organic soil amendments such as manure, peat moss, leaf mold (partially decomposed leaves(, compost, and mushroom soil. They will all serve to condition the soil. Remember you can also make your own by composting your own organic wastes. Incorporate as much of these materials as possible into your planting site. 

If you have a planted area that does not have ideas soil you can slowly increase the organic matter over time by mulching with an organic material such as shredded bark each year. As it decomposes, it becomes part of your soil structure. also each time you plant a new perennial, dig the hold bigger than you need and mix as much organic matter into the planting hole as possible. This will create a welcome home for the newly establishing roots of your latest additions. 

The rewards for site preparation will be enhanced performance of your perennial plants. Once you have prepared the site, you are ready to begin planting. Visit next month for tips on selecting appropriate perennial plants for your garden.