Creating A Gorgeous Garden

Creating A Gorgeous Garden

Four Essential Tips For Getting Your Yard Ready For Summer

by Tiffany Gonzales

If you live in a region that receives a lot of snow over winter, now that it's spring, you're probably looking at a pretty ugly yard. Grass, shrubs, and trees all lie dormant through winter, and they typically look half-dead and brown by the time the snow melts. Here are four tips to get your lawn looking good again.

Grab A Rake

Even if you raked up all the leaves last autumn, you're still sure to find some stragglers. More importantly, the grass can become thatch. This is grass that dies and settles on top of the lawn. Some is okay, as it provides organic matter as it decays. But by the time winter is over, your lawn already got whatever nutrients it had to offer, and now it is just laying there looking unattractive. Use a metal rake with short tines and rake your entire yard, trying to loosen the mat of thatch.

Apply Fertilizer

After you have cleaned up the thatch, it's time to apply the first round of fertilizer. If your lawn is prone to crab grass, you may also want to use a product called pre-emergent. This is often combined with weed killer as well. These should be applied early in spring, before the weeds have a chance to take hold.

Be sure to thoroughly read the directions so you understand how to apply these additives. Otherwise, you might end up with a lawn that looks even worse than when you started. You need to apply the right amount, at the right time. Many people prefer to just leave this task to a landscaping service; they have the specialized knowledge, experience, and equipment to do the job the right way. A landscaping service is also preferred if you'd rather limit the amount of chemicals you use on your lawn as they have other options.  

Mow The Lawn

During the hottest months of summer, you don't want to mow too often or cut the grass too short. You'll end up with patches of dead grass if you do. However, once you see signs of life in your grass in spring, you need to mow it frequently as this will encourage lush growth. Not only will this look nice, but it will help protect your lawn once the rains stop and the drought conditions arrive in July and August.

Check If Your Trees Need To Be Pruned

Most pruning should be done in late autumn when the trees enter their dormancy period. But when the trees start budding and leafing out, you need to check for any limbs that are obviously dead. These have the potential to be "widow makers," which are dead branches that can suddenly break off during summer thunderstorms or when a tree is being felled. Like fertilizing the lawn, this is a job best left to a landscaping service if you aren't sure what you are doing.


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About Me

Creating A Gorgeous Garden

I have always been someone who absolutely adores being outside, which is probably one of the reasons I decided to buy a home with a large lot. However, as soon as I moved in, I realized that yard work was a lot more challenging than I had anticipated, which is why I called in a team of professional landscapers. They were amazing to work with and got right to it, and within a few days, the yard was looking amazing. I wanted to create a blog all about creating beautiful outdoors spaces so that other people can help to beautify the world.