As innkeepers of the Inn at Woodhaven, we wear a lot of hats… and that includes in the garden! During these cold winter days, planning your planting may not be top of mind; however, it’s a great season to get a jumpstart on creating a welcoming garden space. We thought we’d take this month to share a few of our gardening tips for you to try this spring. Are they truly groundbreaking? Maybe not, but we sure do love a good gardening pun!

Inn at Woodhaven photo by Jumping Rocks.

When To Start Your Planting in Kentucky

We don’t consider ourselves gardening experts, but if there’s one thing we know for sure it’s that seasonal gardening is a constant learning process that requires some trial and error when it comes to planting. Fortunately for us local Louisville folks, there are resources that have a wealth of knowledge about everything from starting a vegetable garden to planting your spring flower beds to pruning your shrubs and trees.

February is still frozen and March is an incredibly temperamental month in Kentucky with large temperature swings, but that doesn’t mean you can’t put seeds to soil. If you’re looking to start a vegetable garden, these cold months are actually a great time to get seedlings going indoors. According to LouisvilleGrows.org’s planting calendar, February is ideal for starting seeds for delicious leafy greens like arugula, kale, and collards, herbs like basil, and veggies like cauliflower and eggplant.

Most of your annual and perennial flowers, however, should wait until closer to the Kentucky Derby time to go in the ground. In Louisville, the potential for frost extends through early April. We use this time, instead, to prune our rose bushes and other summer-flowering shrubs to ensure a floriferous season ahead. It’s also a great time for us to check in on the health of the many gorgeous dogwood and weeping cherry trees we have around the property.

Super Soil to Sew Your Seeds

You may not know this, but we were Florida residents for quite a while. In Florida the soil more closely resembles sand, making gardening more challenging than many people expect. In Kentucky, however, we feel lucky for the local crider soil, which is far more nutritionally dense and well-draining. How valuable is crider? It’s actually Kentucky’s official state soil! (Yes, that’s a real thing.)

Soil quality plays one of the most important roles in the health of your blooms and composting is a great way to improve that quality. During the late winter season, remember to rotate your compost heaps to add fresh oxygen to the decomposition process. During late February we like to add about an inch of compost to the garden beds on the property. This helps nourish the soil for better planting results come spring. This blog from Ready To DIY has some great tips on improving your compost quality.

Don’t forget to think about watering. For the trees and shrubs on your property, late winter can actually be a great time to give them a little extra TLC. Evergreens in particular will benefit from some additional watering in February and March. This is especially important if it’s been a dry season with lower rain or snow levels than usual.

Start to a Smooth Growing Season

When the beautiful spring and summer weather arrives, we’re excited to dive right into adding colorful blooms around the property and placing cuttings around the inn. But in order to start the season smoothly, we take advantage of these cooler temperatures to make sure that our gardening tools are in good shape with a thorough cleaning and sharpening.

If you’ve got a lawn mower or other motorized tools for your property, this is an ideal time to inspect them and get them serviced if needed. Being proactive in this area will help you avoid the spring rush for these businesses so that there are no delays in maintaining your yard.

February and March are also great months to add birdhouses to your property. Very soon our feathered friends will be seeking nesting sites and you can create welcoming spaces to host them in your yard (though we’ve found they don’t appreciate the bedside carafe of sherry like our inn guests do). If you’re new to birding, check out these tips from Gardeners.com to select the right types of birdhouses for the types of birds you’re looking to attract.

Find a New Favorite Flower

Many visitors are surprised to learn that of all the floral varietals, its spindly yellow Goldenrod has claimed the title of Kentucky’s State Flower since 1926. If the thought of that gives you the sniffles just thinking about it, the good news is that there are countless options for you to consider. Kentucky is a fantastic state for growing a large variety of blooms in every color imaginable during spring and summer.

On the list of easier-to-care-for flowers, we love the colorful bursts from pentas. They’re relatively drought-tolerant, which is helpful with our busy hosting schedule. They also do well in a variety of light conditions and seem to do fine whether in a hanging basket, pot, or directly in the ground.

Another easy plant is coral honeysuckle (also known as trumpet honeysuckle). It is a native species in Kentucky and is a beautiful trellis-climbing vine. Honeysuckle’s vibrant trumpet-shaped flowers range in color from rich red to coral orange to rich yellow. Plus, this flower attracts several varieties of butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard.

And what Kentucky garden would be complete without roses—one of the icon symbols of the Kentucky Derby. At the Inn at Woodhaven, we have several varieties in hues of white, yellow, pink, and red. With so many varieties available, we encourage you to explore which ones work best for your property and level of gardening expertise.

The Easiest Way to Enjoy Flowers

While most people love flowers, not everyone shares the same love of growing them. We make that easier for all our guests with our “Romance is Inn the Air” package, which includes roses or a mixed floral arrangement. And for a limited time, you can also reserve chocolate-covered strawberries in a heart-shaped box with a bottle of our favorite sparkling Rose. It is the perfect addition to your Valentine’s season stay with us. Schedule your reservation today. And we don’t mean to be presumptuous, but we think our Rose Cottage or Garden Suite may be just perfect for you!