Spring Yard Prep 101: Clean Up, Refresh, Grow

With warmer weather and the smell of spring in the air, I’m sure that I am not the only one struggling with a severe case of Spring Fever. As we eagerly wait for the arrival of spring, now is an important time to take advantage of a nice day or two and get your yard as ready for spring as you are. In this article we’ll explore a few easy and important things you can do to improve your outdoor space this year.

First, we need to start with the importance of a thorough spring clean up for your landscape beds. This should include simple tasks such as raking up and disposing of old leaves and debris, cutting back any dead plant material on ornamental grasses and perennials, and trimming shrubs and trees to a desirable shape and size. Most plants are dormant right now, which makes it the perfect time to trim back overgrowth and get your landscape plants in check.

Be sure to research the proper way to trim each of the plants in your landscape as certain plants require special techniques and may need to be trimmed at other times of the year. Be alert for any flowering plants that have buds already: you don’t want to cut off those buds that will soon turn into flowers.

Tip: If you’re not familiar with your plants, try downloading a plant identifier app on your phone to aid in plant identification and care techniques.

Tip: Split large or overgrown grasses, bulbs, and perennials to increase plant health, density, and get more free plants to plant elsewhere or give away!

Once your plants are trimmed and all the debris is removed, now is a prime time to install new mulch if needed. Fresh mulch not only looks great, but it also acts as an insulator, retains moisture, and adds valuable nutrients to the soil as it breaks down and decomposes over time.

Performing these clean up, trimming, and mulching tasks will give your plants a jump start into spring, giving them better access to sunlight, air, and nutrients. And it looks amazing!

Tip: Try installing a “Spade Cut Edge” on your mulch beds to help separate beds from yard areas and keep mulch from overflowing and getting in the grass. Use a flat shovel to cut a shallow “V” about 3-4” deep along the edge of your mulch beds.

Moving on to the yard, there’s a couple key things to do. First, make sure to clean up the surface of your lawn before it starts growing. Rake up and get rid of any old leaves and dethatch if needed. This allows the grass to receive the sunlight and nutrients it needs. Second, if you are going to apply any kind of fertilizer, do it now but don’t apply too much. We recommend using a fertilizer/crabgrass pre-emergent blend at the rate specified on the product label. If you have thin spots in your lawn and feel the need to plant grass seed in the spring, you’ll want to do that early (we usually aim for late March/early April). Just remember that any new grass you plant now will need constant care and watering through the summer. We highly recommend waiting to plant new grass seed until early fall if possible. It’s also important to remember that you shouldn’t apply crabgrass preventer and grass seed at the same time. Finally, remember to mow often and mow high. We recommend mowing at least once per week during the growing season at a height of at least 3-4”.

Tip: Keep your mower blades sharp. This will help your mower cut nicer and will be better for your grass and keep your mower from “tearing” rather than cutting the blades of grass.

These are just a couple suggestions that will help you get your yard off to a great start this year. We would be happy to assist with any questions or tasks that you don’t want to handle yourself. I hope to see you outside enjoying your little slice of nature as we all work to make our community a more beautiful place!