When one of my boys was a little guy, he brought home a styrofoam cup full of dirt from Sunday School for Mother’s Day. The sides of the cup had cute little boy drawings and scribbles, but the inside showed no signs of life. He told me that I was supposed to water it.
So I did. I had no idea what was in it, but I set the cup in the window and watered it regularly. Well, out of that dirt sprouted a few shoots. Those shoots kept growing taller and taller and began sprouting leaves, so I transplanted them into a flower pot and set them in a sunny spot on our deck.
It was mid-summer before these oddly long, green shoots and leaves showed any sign of becoming something worth the effort of watering, but when that first flower blossomed, I was in love—a perfectly shaped pink flower. A few days later, another flower opened. This one was bright orange. For the rest of the summer, what started as a little cup of dirt became a display of vibrant color. I had to ask a more experienced green-thumb friend what kind of flower it was, but when I learned it was called a Zinnia, I made sure to add it to my list of flowers to plant the next year.
I am definitely not a master gardener, and my only experience with vegetable gardening was the couple of years my hubby made some raised beds for veggies with our boys for fun. They produced a handful of carrots, some green beans, and some awful-tasting lettuce, but that’s about it. And that’s okay. I don’t mind buying my produce at the store or taking the excess from my mom’s garden off her hands.
But over the past two decades, I have grown to love big, leafy perennials and colorful flowering annuals, both in my landscaping and in flower pots on my deck. Below are 14 tips for spring gardening. Some advice is straight from my experience, and a few ideas were pulled from Better Homes and Gardens (bhg.com) and thegardeningcook.com.
Preparing for the Growing Season
1. Clear flowerbeds of dead leaves and debris from the winter months.
On one of those first warm spring days when you are itching to get outside and breathe in the fresh air, grab your garden gloves and a rake and tidy up your landscape.
2. Clean up perennials.
While you are out cleaning up the landscaping, grab garden shears and cut back old, dead foliage as well. Some people like to do this in the fall, but early spring is a good time, too.
3. Divide perennials.
Not all perennials like to be divided in early spring, but some do. Know what you’ve got and divide the ones that are overgrowing their space. Find another place in your yard, or share them with a friend. Or you can do what people often do where I live: just put your divided plants out by the curb in front of your house for passersby to take home. (This is also a good time to clean up and divide ornamental grasses.)
4. Prune trees and shrubs.
Many, but not all, trees and shrubs like to be pruned in the spring. Like your perennials, be aware of which plants you have and trim the ones that will benefit from it. Trimming in the wrong season can harm trees and shrubs, so do your homework before chopping away.
5. Mulch plant beds.
Mulch not only makes things pretty, but it also cools plant roots, making them need less water; it helps smother annoying weeds; and it feeds the soil. Be sure to spread mulch evenly, but avoid laying it too thick or too close to your plants. I usually underestimate the amount of mulch I need, so consider buying an extra bag.
6. Start a compost pile.
A compost pile benefits your garden and gives you a place to put all your organic waste. Be sure to include a good mixture of grass clippings, vegetable peelings, and woody prunings. Periodically turn your compost with a pitchfork to aerate it. Once it has broken down, spread it around your plants, and they will thrive.
7. Add coffee grounds to your compost pile.
According to Oregon State Extension, coffee grounds are an excellent source of nitrogen for your compost pile. Anecdotal evidence suggests coffee grounds also repel slugs and snails.
8. Fertilize.
Spring is a great time to fertilize your perennials. In addition to adding compost to the soil, find a fertilizer appropriate for your garden and apply it at the beginning of the growing season. Read the package instructions to see whether and when you should reapply it during the growing season.
Plant Suggestions
What should you plant? This depends on the climate where you live, but below are some tried-and-true, easy-to-grow, midwestern beauties.
9. Daylilies
If you are new to gardening and want to feel good about yourself and have a plant with long-lasting, beautiful blossoms, plant some daylilies. There is a reason you see them growing freely in ditches (at least in the Midwest). They are nearly impossible to kill. But beware: they also spread like crazy. You will either want a large space for them or be prepared to divide them periodically.
10. Hostas
Like daylilies, hostas are difficult to kill. As long as they are planted in suitable shade, they will thrive year after year after year. They will also grow very large if they have plenty of space. We have a large hill in our backyard filled with hostas. They require almost no attention, though rabbits tend to find the leaves pretty tasty.
11. Dianthus
Dianthus is generally sold as an annual, but if you plant it in the ground, it will come back for several years. I love the pretty little dianthus plants. They look like little bouquets. Plus, if you deadhead them, they will reflower all summer long.
12. Silver Mound
This mounding groundcover has a beautiful silvery sheen, as the name suggests, and is an excellent addition to a flower garden or landscaping along your house. It’s super easy to care for, and the foliage is not only pretty, but it’s also super soft to the touch.
13. Coleus
Coleus comes in different varieties, but they are all beautiful. The colorful, patterned leaves of this plant are a great addition to a flowerpot or landscaping around your house and yard.
14. Zinnias
These are the flowers my little boy gave to me. They are prolific and beautiful, with long stems that are great for cutting and putting in a vase. And they have the bonus of attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. Plant these in an area where you can enjoy seeing some winged creatures flit about.
We have a creative God who not only formed us but also blessed us with stewardship over the vast vegetation he created. And sometimes, he gives us little boys who bring home cups of dirt that turn into amazing flowers. For both of those things, I am thankful.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/PeopleImages
Kim Harms is a two-time cancer survivor. She’s the author of Carried Through Cancer: 70 Days of Spiritual Strength from Cancer Fighters, Survivors and Caregivers (B&H Fall 2025) and Life Reconstructed: Navigating the World of Mastectomies and Breast Reconstruction (Familius 2021, Credo 2024). Kim has a B.A. in English from Iowa State University. In addition to authoring two books, she is a wife of 26 years, a mom of three boys, a freelance writer, a speaker and a part-time library assistant. She considers it a joy and an honor to encourage other women who are facing the hard and often lonely road of cancer, and her website kimharms.net is filled with cancer resources. You can find her on Instagram @kimharmsauthor and Facebook at kimharmsauthor.
