How to get your yard ready for Spring

Advice from our Lawn Maintenance and Horticulture Expert.

In the arena of ‘clean-ups’ it seems that in Northern Michigan, fall clean-ups reign supreme. Nearly every yard requires some sort of leaf removal; however the spring clean-up is equally important to creating a lush and beautiful yard for the upcoming summer months. Our expert in the maintenance and horticulture field summarizes what a spring clean-up entails:

1. Pruning

Any perennials that are not cut back in the fall need to be trimmed. Roses should be pruned back, removing any parts damaged by the winter temperatures. This is the time to shape and thin any dense plants. Late winter/early spring is the best time to prune summer and fall flowering trees and shrubs. Pruning these later in the season will result in removing flower buds. Spring flowering plants are best pruned after flowers have faded. Pruning earlier will remove the current years’ flower buds. To learn more about when you should cut, check out this blog. To learn more about how to prune, check out this blog!

2. Attend to your turf

Remove any leaves and other debris. Leaving leaves in the lawn areas can smoother the lawn. Taking a leaf rake in the areas matted down by snow piles will help those areas green up and begin to recover quicker. Repairing any areas damaged by snow removal will help the lawn fill in much sooner. Using a good screened top soil, along with a quality grass seed in bare areas may be necessary.

3. Attend to your landscape beds

Remove any leaves. This will help any possible perennials emerge quicker, as well as prepare the beds if mulch is to be added. Review plants for any damage from heavy snow and remove damaged limbs.

Not sure what plants to trim back or how to prepare your beds for mulch? We would love to help!