Nothing is better come spring than grass under your feet, gloves on your mitts, and a tinge of warmth in the air—well, those things and a handful of spring gardening tips from the best in the business. Even seasoned gardeners might feel paralyzed by all there is to do and what matters most when the world goes electric with new buds and leaves. (It's not always easy being green, as they say.) So we consulted some top landscape and garden architects to get their best spring gardening tips. To make this whole "happy plants, happy life" thing go a little more smoothly.
"Spring is a time to enjoy fresh new growth, flowers, and extremely favorable natural lighting that illuminates our gardens—my advice is to both soak in this spring beauty but at the same time analyze what is missing so that next year is even better. Do not ever get static or bored in your garden. Gardens are a place to take risks and experiment with color, texture, and form." —Bernard Trainor, Bernard Trainor + Associates
"Well, in my line of work, start getting fit for spring in January! Never be far from your best bulb and plant nursery catalogues. I make notes on all the gardens constantly, as I'm always striving for yet more beauty and wonderful timings and combinations as things unfurl." —Miranda Brooks, Miranda Brooks Landscape Design
"If you want to have an impact, large numbers of a single plant material can be very dramatic and unexpected. In general, I prefer to see no more than three plants together in a single area. My pet peeve is the use of 'onesy' and 'twosy' plants that ends up looking like a busy mess." —Andrea Cochran, Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture
Plants are always happier under a thick, coarse layer of natural mulch. Don’t get the chunky wood bark nuggets from the hardware store, go to a landscape supply yard and get the rough, imperfect-looking stuff. It’ll gray out in the sun and look beautiful, and keep the roots of your plants cool and healthy. Embrace your inner hippie and mulch, mulch, mulch." —David Godshall, Terremoto
"Insects and birds will suddenly start hanging out in your garden with you. You’ll be greeted with birdsong and the buzz of bees, and there’s nothing better than a garden that ecologically vibrates." —David Godshall, Terremoto
"Maybe if you go to the desert one weekend, find a small beautiful rock that you come across and take it home, and place it somewhere in your garden. With time your garden will become a confluence of your life experiences, which is lovely. Do this sparingly, of course!" —David Godshall, Terremoto
