How Do You Prepare Your Home For Spring Landscaping?

Get familiar with basic spring landscape management tips for your garden now so you can jump right in when the weather warms up. The season for spring cleaning in the yard comes with its fair share of work to do in the lawn, especially for those of you who have vast lawns. 

But there’s more maintenance, like cutting back winterkill on arborvitae or pulling weeds. Some of it is rather clear, such as making sure you remember to remove any sack that you have used as winter protection for the bushes, but other duties are simple to forget about.

In this article, we will provide you with an easy-to-follow guide on how to get your home ready for the spring landscaping season. This will ensure your property stands out and catches the season’s spirit.

When Is It Time To Plant Annuals In The Spring?

The dates of the last average local frosts are used to determine the best times of year to plant annuals and vegetables in an area.

When planting annuals that you will be transplanting from pots, six-packs, or flats purchased at a garden centre, the best time to do it is after the date of the last expected frost in your area.

Plant seeds two weeks before the final frost date if you want them to sprout before the end of the season.

Old-timers typically have general guidelines or rules of thumb for the optimal planting periods in a particular country region. Checking with the extension office in your area is another option for determining when the anticipated date of the final frost will be in your area.

What Is Spring Cleanup?

Spring cleanup entails removing accumulated garbage from the landscaped areas, trimming decorative grasses and perennials, and performing selective pruning on summer-flowering trees and shrubs.

Shrubs like roses, spirea, and potentilla are excellent candidates for pruning. It’s also a good time to keep the grass cut relatively short, letting more sunlight and heat into the soil. This helps the grass recover more quickly and clears any dead leaves that may have accumulated. 

Your landscape can be defined by edging the beds and grassy areas that border concrete, which will also prevent the grass from growing beyond the limits of the defined regions. A pre-emergent can be applied to the beds to prevent new weed growth after you’ve cleaned up your landscaping.

Ways For Preparing Your Landscape For Spring

This time of year has come around once more! The arrival of spring means it’s time to clean up your lawn and landscaping.

Your yard’s health and beauty in the summer depend on the care you take of it in the spring. Following the guidelines in How to Prepare Your Landscape for Spring, your yard and garden will look better than your neighbours.

Do Your Research

You must begin preparing your landscaping for spring as soon as possible, particularly if you anticipate making significant alterations to the space.

For instance, a landscaper can more easily evaluate your yard while it is dormant in winter. This is due to the fact that they will be able to see the countryside in all its glory.

Planning your spring landscaping guarantees you get the plants you want. During the dormant season, you can place an order with a nursery for the plants you need, guaranteeing that they will arrive in good time.

Adding Nutrients And Turning Mulch

Wood mulch beds should be turned or added to after pruning and cleanup while the soil is still weed-free. Mulch can be turned or added to in order to insulate plants from temperature swings, prevent water loss through evaporation, and lessen the growth of weeds and grass.

A healthy plant requires nutrient-rich soil. Healthy, robust growth and flower output are aided by applying compost or conventional fertiliser at this time of year.

Compost is an important component of any successful garden, and it may be utilised in one of two ways: either as a top dressing for the bed or as an amendment to the soil. 

Care should be used when using a tiller near plant roots to avoid accidentally severing them. Do it when the soils are damp but not soaked or dried out, as either extreme could damage the soil’s structure.

Fertiliser granules need to be watered in for the nutrients they contain to be released into the soil. Please use the product in accordance with the label’s instructions.

Aerating Your Lawn

It takes effort to keep the landscape looking great. A healthy lawn requires regular aeration. By reducing compaction and opening up the turf’s canopy, aeration improves the soil’s ability to absorb water, oxygen, and nutrients.

Going in opposite directions can generate more holes for water infiltration, which is especially useful in high-traffic areas or lawns with thick thatch.

Weed Your Lawn Beds

It is important to the overall beauty of your landscaping that you keep your beds weeded. If you want to get rid of the weeds in your landscaping, the best method is to pick them out one by one manually.

This presents you with the opportunity to get some exercise. In addition to that, spreading new mulch in the right way will help prevent weeds from growing.

Turning On Irrigation

Water from irrigation systems should be emptied if freezing conditions are expected during the next few days. After turning on your system, you should immediately check for leaks and alter the spray patterns to ensure they do not water hardscapes or walkways. 

If you are tending a garden in the spring, you should be concerned when the first signs of warmer weather appear. Make sure to turn on the sprinklers and look for leaky pipes or damaged sprinkler heads. This can be seen as a geyser if a sprinkler head breaks or floods if a pipe explodes.

In addition, it is recommended that you examine the timing mechanism (clock) of your irrigation system in order to ensure that it is programmed to run at the appropriate times and for the appropriate amounts of time.

Seek Inspiration

Remember that a wealth of resources is available to assist you in prior preparation if you need them. Look up examples of spring landscaping online or consult with neighbours whose yards you admire. You can also consult local landscaping businesses for advice on what’s popular in your area.

Removing Debris, Pruning, And Cutting Back Grass

In the spring, it’s important to prune your plants so that you may get rid of any dead or diseased branches and keep your plant looking its best.

Some plants benefit greatly from rejuvenation pruning in the spring, where the plant is drastically trimmed down so that it can produce entirely new growth. This task can be completed annually or every 3-5 years. 

The larger, more sprawling nature of some plants is prefered. (A plant’s ” habit ” determines its general form and structure. These plants should be studied until leaf emergence to see where to prune back to. If you do this, you can cut down only the dead branches, leaving the healthy ones to grow. 

Grass should be trimmed to within three inches of the ground at the very least. If you leave more than that, the leftover grass will trap moisture and cause the centre to rot. After these steps, the beds can be cleaned and treated with preemergent herbicides.

If you don’t want to harm the plants you now have or the ones you plan to grow, be careful to read and follow all label instructions. The spread of disease in flower beds can be reduced by raking up dead leaves and branches from perennials and shrubs.

Setting Up The Equipment For Your Lawn

Preparing your lawn care tools for a productive growing season begins with a thorough tune-up. Inspect the apparatus thoroughly for any damages that might compromise its safety or performance. It is necessary to change the spark plugs, as well as the oil and the air filter. 

Clean the deck of debris and grass cuttings, and sharpen the blades. Extreme cold makes it more challenging to power up machinery. Let your machinery soak up some rays for an hour or two before turning it on. As a result, the engine may last longer and require fewer repairs down the road.

Lawn Overseeding

It is essential to give your grass an additional seeding every year in order to maintain its dense and lush appearance. An existing lawn can have thin places filled in by spreading new grass seed over the top of the lawn. This is referred to as overseeding.

May or the end of August is the best time to oversee a lawn maintained during the cool season. The likelihood of precipitation is higher during these months, which also have a tendency to have lower average temperatures. If you want to plant seeds on your lawn, you should avoid using any preemergent first.

Dos And Don’ts For Spring Landscapes

The arrival of spring has brought with it a stunning new appearance. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the work needed in your yard and garden after a long winter.

It’s simple to go overboard during the spring cleaning process. There’s a lot to accomplish, but there are also some tasks you should put off until later or even until the fall.

The following is a list of things you should and should not do to prepare your landscape for spring.

Do’s For Spring Landscaping 

1. Start taking care of areas of dead grass. You can tell you have a dog because of the brown, dead patches appearing in your grass. Get a head start on these right now. Dead grass should be raked off, and the top layer of soil should be loosened with a hand rake. You can manually aerate the soil with a garden fork if there is little to no growth in any area. Then, scatter grass seed across the bare area to blend in with the existing grass. To increase the likelihood of successful germination, the seeds should be covered with a thin layer of dirt and then gently pressed down. Then, sprinkle the area very lightly with fertiliser and water it well. If it doesn’t rain, you should water the new grass daily until it’s well-established.
2. Are you planning to plant trees and plants in your yard? If you want them to build a solid root system and feel at home in their new environment, planting them in the spring is your best bet. Maintain a steady watering schedule and mulch heavily around the base of the plants to keep the soil moist and cool.
3. The time has come to get out there and begin dividing your perennials so the young plants can have adequate time to become well-established in their new homes.
4. Finally, but certainly not least, you should get in the habit of photographing your outdoor space, including the plants and the garden. When you look back later in the year or years from now, you’ll be able to relive many wonderful memories and appreciate how far your garden has grown since you captured the moments today.

Don’ts For Spring Landscaping

1. Landscape shrubs and trees bearing spring flowers should wait to be pruned. Many things need to be pruned in the spring, but you should only prune something that flowers early. This includes lilacs, forsythia, viburnum, and quince. It won’t kill them, but you’ll get fewer blooms if you clip them now.
2. Refrain from pruning your elm trees. Because of the high risk of Dutch elm disease, you should no longer prune elm trees this spring. Try to prune between October and March to keep risk as low as possible.
3. If the ground is too frozen or wet, you shouldn’t attempt to work on it. It’s best to wait until the soil in your garden and beds has dried before you start walking or working on it to avoid compacting it. If you must walk on a bed to clear it up for landscaping, lay down a plank of wood to spread your weight and keep the soil from being compacted too much.
4. If you don’t want to cover your favourite annuals and sensitive perennials every night until the final frost has passed, don’t plant them before the last frost. Daytime is the best time to begin hardening off seedlings.
5. Avoid mowing your grass too close to the ground. It’s tempting to get out the lawnmower and give the grass a short trim to eliminate the brown, dead spots, but it’s still too soon. Before you start mowing the lawn, give it time to get established. Keep it at a height of 2.5-3 inches for the time being; ideally, you should wait until it’s around 3 inches tall before you start chopping.
6. Save the beautiful spring days and landscaping you’ve worked so hard on by staying indoors. There may be a never-ending list of things that need to be done in the yard, but take time to appreciate your hard work. Enjoy the blossoming leaves of early perennials and the humming of bees as they visit these flowers. You should be pleased with your accomplishments and give yourself an acknowledgement on the back.

Conclusion

Spring landscaping is a time for cleaning up your yard and preparing your property for the season. It involves removing garbage, trimming decorative grasses and perennials, and performing selective pruning on summer-flowering trees and shrubs

Planning your spring landscaping ensures you get the plants you want, and you can place an order with a nursery during the dormant season.

Add nutrients and turn mulch beds while the soil is still weed-free to insulate plants from temperature swings, prevent water loss through evaporation, and lessen the growth of weeds and grass.

Apply compost or conventional fertiliser at this time of year to help maintain healthy, robust growth and flower output.

Aerate your lawn regularly to improve the soil’s ability to absorb water, oxygen, and nutrients. Weed your lawn beds manually to remove weeds and spread new mulch in the right way to prevent weed growth. Turn on irrigation systems if freezing conditions are expected, check for leaks and adjust spray patterns to avoid watering hardscapes or walkways.

When the first signs of warmer weather appear, turn on sprinklers and inspect the timing mechanism to ensure they run at the appropriate times and amounts of time.

Seek inspiration from online examples of spring landscaping or consult local landscaping businesses for advice on what’s popular in your area.

By following these guidelines, you can prepare your home for the spring landscaping season and ensure your property stands out and catches the season’s spirit.

In the spring, it is crucial to prune plants to remove dead or diseased branches and keep them looking their best. Rejuvenation pruning can be done annually or every 3-5 years, depending on the plant’s habit.

Trimming grass to within three inches of the ground is essential to prevent moisture trapping and rot. Overseeing your lawn equipment is also essential for a productive growing season.

To prepare your lawn, start by taking care of dead grass, loosening the top layer of soil, and scattering grass seed across the bare area. If there is little to no growth, manually aerate the soil with a garden fork. Water the new grass daily until it is well-established.

Planting trees and plants in the spring is recommended for a solid root system and a comfortable environment. Maintain a steady watering schedule and mulch around the base of the plants to keep the soil moist and cool.

Divide perennials and take time to photograph your outdoor space to appreciate the growth since you captured the moments today.

Don’ts for spring landscaping include pruning shrubs and trees bearing spring flowers, refraining from pruning elm trees due to the high risk of Dutch elm disease, waiting for the ground to dry before working on it, and not planting annuals and sensitive perennials before the last frost. Mow grass too close to the ground and wait until it is around 3 inches tall before chopping.

Save the beautiful spring days and landscaping by staying indoors and appreciating your hard work. Enjoy the blossoming leaves of early perennials and the humming of bees as they visit these flowers.

Content Summary

• Familiarize yourself with essential spring landscape management tips for your garden.
• Prepare for spring cleaning in the yard, especially for those with vast lawns.
• Cut back winterkill on arborvitae and pull weeds for a well-maintained lawn.
• Remember to remove winter protection sacks from bushes.
• Ensure a clear guide on getting your home ready for spring landscaping.
• Determine the best times to plant annuals using local frost dates.
• Transplant annuals after the last expected frost in your area.
• Plant seeds two weeks before the final frost date for optimal sprouting.
• Consider general guidelines or consult the extension office for planting periods.
• Spring cleanup involves removing debris, trimming grasses, and selective pruning.
• Prune shrubs like roses, spirea, and potentilla for a healthier landscape.
• Edge beds and grassy areas to define your landscape and prevent weed growth.
• Apply pre-emergent to prevent new weed growth after cleanup.
• Plan your spring landscaping early to ensure timely plant orders.
• Turn or add wood mulch beds after pruning to insulate plants and prevent weeds.
• Apply compost or fertilizer for healthy plant growth and flower output.
• Exercise caution when using a tiller near plant roots to avoid damage.
• Regularly aerate your lawn to improve water and nutrient absorption.
• Weed lawn beds manually for a beautiful landscape.
• Empty irrigation system water if freezing conditions are expected.
• Check for leaks and adjust spray patterns to avoid watering hardscapes.
• Examine the timing mechanism of your irrigation system.
• Seek inspiration from online resources, neighbors, or local landscaping businesses.
• Prune plants in spring to remove dead or diseased branches.
• Consider rejuvenation pruning for some plants to stimulate new growth.
• Trim grass to a minimum height to promote quick recovery and prevent rot.
• Clean and treat beds with pre-emergent herbicides after pruning.
• Thoroughly tune up lawn care tools for a productive growing season.
• Change spark plugs, oil, and air filter, and sharpen blades for optimal performance.
• Let machinery soak up sunlight before use for longer engine life.
• Overseed your lawn annually to maintain density and lush appearance.
• Plant trees and plants in spring for a solid root system.
• Maintain a steady watering schedule and mulch heavily around plant bases.
• Divide perennials in spring to allow young plants to establish themselves.
• Photograph your outdoor space to capture memories and track garden growth.
• Avoid pruning shrubs and trees with spring flowers to preserve blooms.
• Refrain from pruning elm trees in spring due to the risk of Dutch elm disease.
• Wait until the soil is dry to work on it and avoid compaction.
• Plant sensitive annuals after the last frost to avoid nightly covering.
• Don’t mow grass too close to the ground; wait until it’s established.
• Appreciate your hard work and enjoy the beauty of spring landscapes.
• Take time to appreciate blossoming leaves and the humming of bees.
• Acknowledge your accomplishments and give yourself credit.
• Follow dos and don’ts for spring landscaping to avoid common mistakes.
• Start addressing dead grass areas early for a healthier lawn.
• Plant trees and plants in spring for a strong root system.
• Divide perennials in spring for well-established young plants.
• Avoid pruning spring-flowering shrubs to preserve blossoms.
• Wait for the soil to dry before working to prevent compaction.
• Take time to enjoy the beauty of your landscaped yard in spring.

Frequently Asked Questions

When Is The Ideal Time To Start Spring Landscaping?

The ideal time to start spring landscaping varies based on your region’s climate. Generally, begin preparations when the frost thaws and the soil becomes workable. Early spring, typically March or April, is a prime time for planting and rejuvenating your outdoor space.

 

What Types Of Plants Are Best For Spring Landscaping?

Opt for a diverse and visually appealing landscape mix of flowering bulbs, shrubs, and trees. Choose native plants that thrive in your region, considering soil type and sunlight exposure.

 

How Can I Create A Low-Maintenance Spring Garden?

Designing a low-maintenance garden involves strategic plant selection and thoughtful planning. Choose plants well-suited to your climate, implement efficient irrigation systems, and incorporate hardscape elements to reduce the need for constant upkeep.

 

Can I Incorporate Lighting Into My Spring Landscaping?

Outdoor lighting extends your garden’s enjoyment into the evening and adds a touch of elegance. Use LED garden lights strategically to highlight key features and pathways.

 

How Often Should I Perform Maintenance On My Spring Landscape?

Regular maintenance is key to preserving the beauty of your spring landscape. Create a maintenance schedule, including pruning, weeding, and fertilising. Consistent care prevents issues and ensures your garden remains a picturesque haven.