Spring gardening: Everything you need to know to get your garden ready to grow

Published May 2, 2018 Updated June 5, 2018

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Four tips to get your garden ready for spring

Want to move indoor plants outside, or build a yard that attracts butterflies? Marjorie Harris offers expert advice

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Patio furniture that would look at home in your living room

Matthew Hague offers suggestions to help you seamlessly bring the indoors outside

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Photograph by Joseph Saraceno; Prop Styling by Wilson Wong

Celebrity designer Brian Gluckstein’s top five tips for a patio refresh

Gluckstein’s personal patio set-up reflects much of the luxe-yet-liveable style he’s become synonymous with

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Gardening tips for the smallest of spaces

Choosing the plants to best fit to your space depends on climate and sun exposure

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What can I prune and when?

The rule of thumb is that if it blooms in spring, prune after the flowers are spent; it if blooms in autumn, cut it down in late winter and early spring. This generally works for vines and shrubs, but when it comes to the latter, don’t take out more than about one-third of the stems from the base. As for trees, it’s safe to prune them now, since they’re mature enough to form calluses in order to heal themselves after being cut. But again, don’t remove more than you have to – it’s really only about shape and safety. That said, many old evergreens – especially very old yews – can get a whole new lease on life if you whack them right back. They’ll come back looking almost like new. − Marjorie Harris

How much and how often should I water?

Give big trees and large shrubs three buckets of water twice a week – that’s about the same as letting the hose or watering system run gently for 45 minutes. Avoid mini-watering – letting the water run every day for 20 minutes – as it produces plants with a shallow rooting system. As for plants in containers, water them almost every day depending on size and rainfall. When in doubt, use the knuckle test: Stick your finger into the container and if it’s dry above the first knuckle, water slowly until it runs out the bottom of the pot. − Marjorie Harris

DIY kitchen garden essentials: How to grow your own bountiful harvest

A primer on creating high-yield food plots that are also attractive (plus tips on what to do with all that bounty)

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At first I just wanted free lunch. But now I can’t imagine life without my vegetable garden

Tending to his vegetable garden – with all of its glorious frustrations – left Beppi Crosariol with more than a green thumb

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Want a high-impact, low-fuss garden? Try xeriscaping

Marjorie Harris answers questions on this hot gardening trend

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Make native plants feel at home in your garden

Native ephemerals are crucial to every garden

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A rooting interest: How to solve the grass conundrum

A handsome grass placed with some skill will enhance the tiniest of gardens

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I’m confused about mass planting versus a mixed bed. How do I avoid a haphazard look?

A good mixed bed isn’t easy to achieve – and it can take years of gardening experience to get there. A mass planting usually means having a large area covered with one kind of plant (as in all the same hosta); a mixed bed, which is one I prefer myself, has many different kinds of plants, often with similar colours blending into the next. Try planting three of the same kind of plant in a triangle. This will prevent anything from looking too spotty. Then add the next threesome in a complementary colour, texture or contrasting foliage (pointy with fluffy). To my eye, it is a much healthier, more interesting way to plant than dozens of the same plant in huge drifts, unless you are dealing with acres of land. − Marjorie Harris

How do I figure out whether I have alkaline or acidic soil?

That is always something useful to know. Many plants really like acidic soil. To make a test of your own, mix soil from one part of the garden and add it to a jar of water. Pour some baking soda over it; if it bubbles, it’s acidic. In another container pour ordinary vinegar over the muddy water; if it fizzes it’s alkaline. If nothing happens, you’ve got neutral soil, which is what most gardens like to grow in. This is, of course, a crude method. Another way to figure out what you’re working with: Look around. Are there lots of cedars and other evergreens? Any healthy-looking rhododendrons? If so, you can bet the soil is acidic. − Marjorie Harris

I thought I was a nature lover. Then raccoons started tearing up my lawn

The grass was rolled up neater than any roll-up-the-rim cup, Sam Heffer writes. Raccoons: 1, backyard: 0

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My balcony garden might be small, but it’s a project of hope

Oleksandra Budna loves what container gardening does for her sense of well-being

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Illustration by The Globe and Mail; source images/istock

Why hasn’t the gardening industry been disrupted yet?

Uber transformed public transportation. Airbnb altered the way we vacation. But as Wency Leung reports, gardening remains unchanged. She digs in to find out why the pursuit is rooted in the past

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