Prep Your Yard for Spring!

As we are now well into spring, you may want to start prepping your yard for the summer if you haven’t already! Rake, tidy, seed and plant to bring your yard back to life! Here are some basic things you can check off your list:

Trees & Shrubs

• Prune dead and damaged branches. The cold temperatures, harsh winds and snow are all hard on trees and shrubs. Trim down to the live stem to allow for new growth.
• Prune summer flowering shrubs before buds begin to appear, but allow spring flowering shrubs to flower before pruning.

Perennials and Grasses

• Prune flowering perennials down to 4-5 inches to allow room for new growth to thrive. If you are looking to divide perennials, now is an excellent opportunity. Where the soil has thawed, dig up parts of the plant in clumps, with at least three stems per clump. 
• Grasses should be trimmed down to 2-3 inches, and can also be divided at this time. 
• For climbing plants, remove any older woody stems to allow for newer green stems to flourish.

Tidy around the plants

• Debris from over the fall and winter can smother plants and prevent them from growing. Gently rake out any dead leaves and foliage tucked around and under plants, and pull up any annuals left from the previous year. 

Edging

• In order to maintain the clean edge of your gardens, use a square-head shovel to edge the gardens This will prevent grass from spreading and growing into the garden. 

Once you have cleared away all debris, you will need some way to get rid of it. To make this task more convenient for you, consider renting a bin for your driveway. This makes it much easier to get rid of, so that you do not have to worry about staying within your city’s yard waste bag pick up limit. Simply call to have a bin delivered, fill it up, and call for the pick-up. You can fill out this quick form to get a quote on a bin rental to your home. 

Early spring is the perfect time to assess your lawn and start any repair work that may be necessary. Once you have raked and cleared the lawn of any leaves, branches and other unwanted debris, remove any grass that has been damaged by plows, salt, or disease over the winter, to prepare for seeding. Begin seeding a couple of weeks later, and be sure to keep the seed moist. 

Start by simply sweeping and removing any debris on patios, decks, and walkways. If necessary, use a pressure washer to remove any algae spots of leaf stains that have accumulated over the course of the winter. 

Refill joints between flagstones and rake escaped gravel back into aggregate walkways to ensure that your walkways are in top shape before the start of the season. 

Assess fences and trellises and replace any damaged parts. HomeStars has written a piece on the 3 ways to tell if your fence needs repairing or replacing, which you can read here. Then wash fences to brighten them up using a power washer on a light setting, or by hand. 

When bringing out your outdoor furniture for the year, wash what you can to freshen it up. Assess if there is anything you may need to repair or replace before you will be in the routine of using the furniture regularly. If you’re looking for some inspiration for your backyard decor, check out Houzz, House & Home, or House Beautiful, which all have beautiful ideas!