Swing Into Spring With KeyRingThing and The Home Depot

Though it was a long time coming, Spring is finally here and that is good news to all you gardeners. Finally, you can put away the daydreams and get started on this year's garden.

You'll need lots of flower and vegetable plants (not to mention replacing that sorry spade or rusty shovel) but before you go shopping, there's three things you should do:

1. Apply here for a Home Depot Consumer Credit card, and you'll enjoy 10% off all your purchases.

2. Unclutter your wallet by putting your Home Depot's Consumer Credit Card's bar code on your KeyRingThing card.

3. Join the Home Depot Garden Club here. It's free and let's you take your place in a community of gardeners, share regional how-to's, and receive exclusive members-only coupons and discounts delivered right to your inbox.

Then grab your KeyRingThing card and head on over to The Home Depot, where you'll find everything you need to make your garden grow.

Here are some tips from the Home Depot to help you pick out the perfect plants to create your very own Eden:

Choosing Garden Center Plants

One of the much-anticipated rites of spring is the mad dash to the Garden Center, where enthusiastic green thumbs will find the shelves well stocked with hard-to-resist plant temptations. Wondering what to buy? Do you covet the newest varieties or make a beeline for tried-and-true favorites? No matter what you choose, you’ll want to look for plants that will perform well in your garden.

The Home Depot Garden Center experts take extra care to bring you healthy, robust plants. Take full advantage our experts primer to help you select one that is right for you.

GENERAL PLANT SELECTION TIPS

• Before you head to the Garden Center, take note of the conditions in your garden. For example, are your flowerbeds in the sun or shade? Is the soil moist or dry? Do you want a garden that blooms throughout the growing season? While shopping for plants with this information in hand, you can seek the varieties best suited to your growing conditions.
• Look for plants with lots of leafy growth and many buds.
• Know the potential size and proportion of the plant so it fits the space you’re planning to transplant it to once you bring it home.

Annuals

• Choose short and stocky ones with dense branching, which indicates a healthy and well-distributed root system.
• It’s better to buy plants that are still in bud rather than in full bloom. Initially, non-blooming plants spend more energy producing strong roots, which encourages better flowering throughout summer.
Perennials
• Consider the shape of the plant. Select sturdy specimens with strong-looking, full foliage with multiple stems.
• Since most perennials need at least one year before blooming, bigger is definitely better. A larger container indicates the plant has spent a winter outside and is acclimatized to the weather. Once planted in your garden, it will become established easier and bloom faster. Younger plants may not bloom the first year.
• For low-maintenance options, ask your Garden Center expert for recommendations that will not need lots of care but will provide years of interest.

Trees and Shrubs

• Look for plump buds in early spring, when leaves may not have emerged yet.
• Look for even branching on all sides, with fuller rather than taller growth.
• When it comes to trees and shrubs, size may matter to you. Larger specimens will initially make your landscape look more established and mature, but if you’re willing to wait two or three years, those in smaller containers are less expensive and can eventually outpace larger ones.

All of us at KeyRingThing wish you a Spectacular Spring!