Pre-Spring Planning
Calgary has had a long and cold winter. The calendar has finally turned to April, and many of us are dreaming of warmer days and the chance to get outside and start working in the yard. Problem is, Mother Nature doesn’t have that same agenda and instead of looking like April, it’s feeling more like the longest January ever on record. But alas! Even if the weather outside isn’t cooperative – hello snow showers – there are things you can get started on now to forget about the gloomy weather and get a jump on pre-spring yard and garden prep work.
The best time to start planning your yard or garden is when you’re stuck inside, facing the doldrums of what seems to be an ever-lasting winter. Pull out some paper and a writing utensil and start jotting down ideas as you watch more of that blasted white stuff fall from the sky (it is April, right??):
- what was a success in your yard and garden last season?
- what was a total flop that you swore you’d never do again?
- what new plants do you want to try?
- what color schemes do you want for your annual flowerbeds?
- what design elements/layouts need to be changed?
- what equipment (irrigation, etc.) needs to be upgraded?
Now that you’ve brainstorm basic ideas it’s time to get into the fun part, the planning of course! Pull out the paper and pencil again but this time sit down with graph paper – the kind you used back in trigonometry or geometry class in high school and swore you’d never touch again – and sketch out how much space you have to work with. This gives you a great visualization of your space and layout. Add in existing features such as trees, fish ponds, perennials, etc. and then determine where you want to plant this season.
After planning comes buying! So, this is the really fun part…hop on the computer from the comfort of your warm living room and start ordering plants and all of the other items for your yard that you’re dreaming of from www.calgaryplants.com
Once your shopping cart has been paid for, and you’re waiting for the parcels to be delivered, there are a couple of things you can do outside if you dare venture out. With a little bit of snow on the ground yet it’s a great time to get out and prune trees and shrubs before it gets warm and they break dormancy.
So, you’ve planned out your layout, ordered your plants and items online, and braved the snowy cold to get pruning done before the weather turns. It might not be the same as actually getting out in the yard or garden but hopefully it gets you thinking about better weather because sooner or later the snow will melt! Happy planning!
Keywords: Calgary garden planning | Calgary pre-spring garden planning | Calgary garden prep | Calgary winter gardening tasks | Calgary gardening