The arrival of spring marks a time of renewal in the garden. After months of dormancy, it’s time to revive tired beds and lawns so your landscape can flourish with vibrant blooms and lush greenery. For home gardeners in the Troy, MI area, English Gardens is the go-to destination to rejuvenate your outdoor space this spring. With their wide selection of plants, gardening supplies, landscaping services and more, you’ll find everything you need to breathe new life into your garden.
As a leading garden center in Metro Detroit for over 60 years, English Gardens offers convenience and expertise to help both novice and seasoned gardeners succeed. Their Troy location provides a full nursery and floral shop just a short drive from neighborhoods throughout Oakland County. Read on for tips and inspiration from the experts at English Gardens to revive your garden this spring.
Revive Tired Flowerbeds and Gardens
Overgrown perennials, congested shrubs, and nutrient-depleted soil are common culprits behind lackluster flowerbeds. But with some targeted renewal techniques, your gardens will be picture-perfect in no time.
Assess Soil Health
Spring is the optimal time to test your garden beds’ pH levels to ensure the soil offers the proper environment for plants to thrive. You can bring soil samples to English Gardens for analysis by their experts. They’ll provide customized recommendations for amending the soil based on your gardening goals and the types of plants you want to grow.
In addition to pH, check soil drainage by digging a hole 12 inches deep and filling it with water. If it takes more than 12 hours to drain, your soil likely needs amendments to improve drainage before planting. Compost and organic material incorporated 8-12 inches deep will nourish the soil while improving moisture retention and drainage.
Prune Overgrown Shrubs and Bushes
Early spring, before new growth emerges, is the optimal time for pruning overgrown shrubs and bushes. English Gardens has an array of top-quality pruning tools like bypass pruners, loppers, and folding saws to facilitate the process. Always make pruning cuts just above an outward facing bud. Remove dead or crossing branches along with up to one-third of old growth to rejuvenate overgrown plants.
Pruning stimulates new growth from the base while opening air flow to prevent disease. It also maintains a shapely form for hedges and shrubs, enhancing your landscape’s aesthetic. For optimal results, prune spring blooming shrubs like lilacs and forsythias shortly after flowering.
Divide Crowded Perennials
It’s normal for many perennials like hostas and daylilies to outgrow their space after a few years. Dividing overgrown clumps keeps these plants healthy and flowering profusely. Spring is the perfect time to divide when new growth is just starting to emerge.
Use a spading fork to gently lift and separate sections with new shoots from the parent plant. Replant divisions 12-18 inches apart. Water well and add compost to help establish an extensive root system. Dividing perennials every 3-5 years eliminates crowding while yielding more plants to expand garden beds or share with gardening friends.
Freshen Up Mulch
Replenish mulch in garden beds to conserve moisture, inhibit weeds, and give your landscape a refreshed aesthetic. English Gardens offers various mulch options including pine bark, hemlock, shredded hardwood, and composted hardwood. For flower and vegetable gardens, 2-3 inches of fine shredded hardwood or composted hardwood are ideal mulches that will break down over time.
Refresh Your Lawn for a Flourishing Green Space
If your lawn looked lackluster last year with thin grass and bare patches, take action now to cultivate a lush, green lawn that becomes an attractive landscape asset. The lawn experts at English Gardens recommend the following springtime renewal techniques.
Dethatch and Aerate
Thatch buildup – layers of decomposing roots and stems – prevents water, air, and nutrients from reaching the soil and grass roots. Core aeration also facilitates better absorption by punching holes to alleviate soil compaction. Dethatching and aerating in early spring ensures your lawn receives the moisture and nutrients it needs to thrive through summer heat.
For the best results, dethatch and aerate every 1-3 years depending on thatch buildup. English Gardens rents professional-grade power dethatchers and core aerators, so you can complete the process efficiently without the costs of purchasing this specialized equipment.
Overseed Bare Spots
Spring presents the ideal time to repair bare, thinning, or brown spots in your lawn by overseeding with grass matched to your climate and conditions. Cool-season grasses such as fescues and bluegrasses grow best in Michigan. English Gardens stocks high-quality seed blends for sun, shade, and heavy traffic from trusted brands.
Prior to seeding, loosen and rake the soil lightly in bare areas to improve contact between seed and soil. Scatter seeds at the recommended rate, then topdress lightly with compost. Keep newly seeded areas consistently moist until new grass emerges in 10-21 days. Overseeding in spring allows grass to establish before summer’s heat and drought.
Fertilize
Fertilizing infuses nutrients lawns need to build deep roots and vibrant green growth. Look for balanced fertilizers with a near equal ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (represented by the N-P-K numbers on the bag). Organic fertilizers available at English Gardens offer extended release nutrition without synthetic chemicals.
Time applications based on grass growth patterns. Cool season grasses like fescue and bluegrass thrive with early spring and fall fertilization when soil temperatures remain below 55degF. Apply at recommended rates to avoid excess nitrogen runoff. Pair fertilizing with dethatching, aerating, and overseeding for remarkable transformation.
Add New Life with Flowering Plants
Nothing ushers in spring’s renewal quite like an array of bright blossoms. English Gardens’ greenhouse offers thousands of vibrant annuals and perennials to incorporate waves of colorful flowers into your beds and borders.
Annuals Offer Bright Pops of Color
Choose heat and drought tolerant annuals like petunias, marigolds, zinnias, and snapdragons that will provide non-stop color from spring through fall frost. For impact, plant in blocks of at least 3 plants, rather than sparse rows. Place taller annuals like sunflowers and dahlias in the back border with lower growers like lobelia and alyssum up front.
English Gardens stocks the largest selection of Proven Winner and Premium Annuals bred specifically to flourish in our Zone 5 climate. With proper planting and care, these vigorous annuals will reward you with vivid color beyond just one season.
Perennials Provide Ongoing Beauty
Perennials establish permanent root systems that deliver flowers year after year with proper planting and care. Long bloom-time perennials like Shasta daisies, coneflowers, daylilies, and garden phlox keep gardens looking fabulously fresh. Plant in clusters of 3 or 5 per variety for dramatic impact.
Choose a mix of early, mid, and late-season bloomers to ensure non-stop flowers from spring through fall. English Gardens’ experts can recommend time-tested perennials perfect for the conditions in your garden.
Plant Flowering Shrubs and Bushes
Flowering shrubs bring vital structure and multi-season interest to garden beds. Spring favorites like lilac, forsythia, and spirea burst with abundant blooms for 2-3 weeks. Plant clusters of 3-5 shrubs together to make their fleeting flowers really stand out.
English Gardens offers flowering shrubs prized for beauty, fragrance, and pollinator appeal. Most flowering shrubs thrive for decades with minimal care beyond annual pruning. Plan now for enjoyment year after year.
Improve Function and Ambiance with Landscaping
Beyond plants, integrating new design features and hardscapes creates an inviting garden that serves as an outdoor living space, not just a landscape to look at. The professional landscaping team at English Gardens can handle installations or provide expert advice for handy DIYers. Here are some top landscaping projects to elevate your garden’s form and function.
Build a Paver Patio
An elegant paver patio provides a smooth surface for outdoor dining, conversation, or quiet relaxation in the garden. Unlike materials like concrete or wood decking, clay pavers maintain their graceful beauty for decades and won’t crack, splinter or degrade. English Gardens offers a premium selection of pavers in varied shapes, colors, and patterns to match your home’s architecture and style.
For proper installation, the English Gardens’ landscaping team creates a 6-inch gravel base reinforced with edge restraints before laying pavers snugly. A refined paver patio adds aesthetic appeal along with usable space to enjoy your yard.
Install a Pathway
Meandering garden pathways invite you to fully experience the garden’s beauty up close. Straight pathways in geometric patterns offer a more formal look. Materials like bricks, flagstone, gravel, mulch and stepping stones all create distinct aesthetics.
English Gardens stocks a diverse selection of pathway materials to complement your garden’s style, along with edging and grid systems to maintain a tidy appearance long-term. They can also install lighting integrated into handlaid pathways to create a magical nighttime ambiance.
Add Decorative Features
Decorative features infuse personality while enhancing the garden’s form and function. Consider installing a bubbling rock fountain accented with flowers, an arbor or trellis dressed in climbing vines, or a backless bench perfect for quiet contemplation of nature’s beauty. English Gardens stocks thousands of decorative accents to explore for just the right additions to express your unique style.
Interested in evening ambiance? Landscape lighting is one of English Gardens’ specialties. Their experts can develop a custom lighting scheme with fixtures and luminaires to highlight trees, pathways, alfrescos and architectural features for showstopping drama after sunset.
This spring, breathe new life into gardens and lawns tired from winter’s wrath. With vibrant plants, gardening supplies, decor, and landscaping services, English Gardens has everything green thumbs need to cultivate an outdoor oasis. Visit their Troy, MI location for inspiration that turns your landscape visions into reality.
Their plant and design experts happily share guidance tailored for your specific conditions and goals. With a custom rejuvenation plan, you’ll enjoy a naturally gorgeous garden that flourishes with ease. Contact English Gardens today to schedule a complimentary planting or landscape design consultation.
