Spring Landscaping Tips
The best thing to do to get a jump start on your landscaping is to figure out what your goals are right away in the Spring.
Perk Up that Lawn
If your goal is to make a beautiful lawn, you need to clean up any leftover debris, aerate the lawn, [which means poke holes in it] and then give it treatments. The first treatment I recommend is over-seeding, especially if your lawn has bare spots.
Always helpful is a good fertilizer made up of Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). These are the three major nutrients needed by lawns. Recommended ratios of N-P-K for lawn fertilizers include 3:1:2 or 4:1:2.
If weeds are an issue, wait till the seeding is up by about 30 days before you treat it for weeds. You can also treat it for weeds before you seed, but many weed killers actually kill seeds. So you can’t mix the two of them together.
Tame that Shrubbery
Another goal is to get your shrubbery trimmed. Just to be safe, Google the best time in the season to trim each particular type of plant because different types of shrubbery actually need different timelines for trimming.
Spring is a perfect time to start planting trees and shrubbery too, and making sure that all your existing trees and shrubs are still alive. Trim any dead branches and eliminate weeds around trees and shrubs, they can steal vital nutrients. You could even buy fertilizer sticks for your trees and shrubbery, if they’re in need of help (Miracle Grow and Jobe’s make good products).
Deal with Dead Debris
Don’t forget to dead-head and rake out all of the dead foliage from your flowers, hostas and ornamental grasses. New growth will be more evident once all of the lifeless leaves are removed. You might be surprised how much new growth was hiding in there!
Keep an eye on the nighttime lows before planting your new annuals and perennials and putting out those hanging baskets.
Finishing Touches
Next, get your mulch ready and put it on early in the spring. Don’t skimp either, this will help curb weeds right way.
Check your downspouts for debris so that the water runs away from your house. If you’re having any water issues in the house, the best thing to do is to get the water as far away from the house as you can. It’s easier to divert it now than trying to fight the water once it’s in the basement.
