Category: Spring Cleaning

Flowers, sunshine, and evening rainfall. Spring means nature is alive, well, and thriving! 

But before you can enjoy your outdoor space, there are a few spring clean-up steps you need to perform. Winter leaves behind dead plants and debris. When the winter cold thaws, chances are your landscaping will need a facelift.

Not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered!

Keep reading to learn five spring clean-up landscaping tips to increase your house’s curb appeal and become the envy of the neighborhood.

1. Clean-Up

Spring clean-up is a popular pastime of most people — but it shouldn’t end inside your home. Your outdoor landscape needs a little TLC too.

Start by cleaning up outdoor flower beds, trees, shrubs, and other landscaped areas. Remove visible debris including leaves, broken branches, dead grass, and other waste or garbage that might have collected over the winter months.

Rake all surrounding grass, clean out plant beds, and remove all dead plants. Cleaning up debris doesn’t only improve the appearance of your lawn but it also increases airflow and sun exposure. 

Less debris also means less chance of mold or bacteria growth that can kill plants and lead to insect infestations.

2. Fertilize

Every great lawn needs a solid foundation — and that starts with applying pre-emergents and fertilizer.

Professional landscapers can apply pre-emergent chemicals to prevent the growth of weeds. This proactive step will prevent overgrowth in the summer months, including goosegrass and crabgrass. 

These grassy weeds can consume your lawn at a rapid pace. Fertilizer provides your grass with essential nutrients for a healthy foundation.

3. Aerate

Your landscaping needs a few key elements to thrive and adequate airflow is one of them. If you plan to fertilize and apply pre-emergents to your lawn, aerate first. 

Over the winter, the soil in your yard will compact and become dense. This makes it difficult for it to absorb both air and moisture — two essential nutrients your landscape needs.

An aerating tool helps loosen up this compacted soil, making it easier for water to penetrate the surface and be absorbed. You can use two methods to aerate your lawn — spike aeration or core aeration.

Consult a landscape professional for advice and tips on which approach is best for your lawn.

4. Trim and Prune Plants

In addition to cleaning debris from your trees, bushes, and other landscaping, you should trim and prune all overgrown bushes, shrubs, and trees. This process eliminates old growth while promoting new, healthy growth.

Start by removing all damaged sections of the plant. Cut off the entire top of the plant (if necessary) or just the dead sections. You may need to make hard cutbacks on certain trees depending on the extent of the damage. Prune individual branches and shape trees so they encourage new growth.

Remember, a little goes a long way when pruning trees. Over pruning can actually harm your trees and shrubbery.

Research the type of plant you’re dealing with before making any drastic cuts. Your local climate can also affect growth. 

5. Mulch and Plant

Now that you’ve cleaned up, you’re ready for new, healthy plants. Not so fast!

First, you need to test the condition of your soil to make sure it contains all the necessary nutrients your new plants need. Quality mulch helps protect any new plants, shrubs, or trees you plant. 

If you plan to spread new grass seed, now’s the time to do it. It’s important to note that if you plan on doing pre-emergent, you shouldn’t seed as well. These two steps can interfere with one another and have adverse effects. 

Proper Spring Clean-Up Means a Plentiful Summer

Are you ready to welcome the warm spring and summer months?

If you want to enter the upcoming season with gorgeous landscaping, you’ll need a few spring clean-up tips for ideal results.

Looking to add a little character to your yard? Consider a pond or pondless waterfall.

Contact us today for more information about our services and how we can help transform your outdoor space.