Spring Gardening Checklist: Early, Mid, and Late Season Tasks

Early Spring

Check for growth. No snow crocus? Force forsythia or magnolia branches indoors for early color.

Prep beds. Remove winter mulch or work composted mulch into topsoil. Add leaf mold or well-rotted manure.

Prune fruit trees. Now if not done in winter. Before buds break — late pruning stresses tree, reduces crop.

Basic maintenance. Check stonework for frost heaves. Clean/repair deck now.

Start seeds indoors. Try varieties from winter catalogs.

Plant cool-season veggies. Onions, potatoes, artichokes, some lettuces now.

Divide perennials. Before spring growth starts. Share divisions.

Mid-Spring

Build new flower beds. Add shrubs with season-long blooms.

Stop feeding birds. Clean/store feeders until fall.

Enjoy spring show. Plan more spring bulbs for next fall.

Plant hardy annuals. Sow seeds or transplant seedlings.

Apply mulch. Now = near-zero summer weeding.

Late Spring

Deadhead bulbs. Remove spent blossoms; let foliage die back naturally.

Shop for bedding plants. Choose flats not yet in bloom for stronger plants.

Prune spring-flowering shrubs. Remove spent blooms, thin thick branches to rejuvenate.

How to Prune Spring-Flowering Shrubs