I have never been a natural gardener. For years, I struggled to keep basic houseplants alive, only to kill them at the first opportunity. It was difficult and stressful to buy a home with a yard, but I knew that I might be able to learn what I was doing wrong and correct the problem. To start off, I focused heavily on the lawn, and tried hard to keep it trimmed and well-maintained. Next, I cleaned up the flowerbeds. It was a lot of work, but I knew that it would pay off in the end. When I was done, my front yard was gorgeous, and guess what--it even stayed alive. This blog is all about loving your little landscape.
When spring finally arrives, it can seem like there is an overwhelming amount of work to be done to get your yard looking great once again. But once your lawn and vegetation start growing, the remnants of winter disappear and your yard begins to look somewhat better. However, there are still some important things in the management of your yard that you need to tackle because nature's natural growth can't take care of by itself. Here are some recommendations that you can take for your yard to get it ready for the summer season and outdoor enjoyment.
Care For Your Lawn
Your lawn's health and appearance can be negatively affected by winter's harsh weather and cold temperatures, leaving it dead in spots from causes such as fungal disease, crown freeze, and snow mold. When your lawn begins to emerge from hibernation, you will notice any spots of winter kill on your lawn as dead brown spots that do not grow.
As your lawn grows in and thickens this summer, it will begin to grow within these areas, but you can benefit from an application of grass seed on the dead spots. Overseeding your lawn in this manner will regrow new lawn shoots in the dead spots. Just be sure that you rake up the dead lawn and loosen the soil, then sprinkle lawn seeds by hand to match those that you already have growing in your lawn.
Spread down a layer of peat moss over the dead spots and the new seeds. This will keep the soil and the seeds moist while they germinate over the first one to two weeks. Make sure you water the seeded spots several times each day to keep them moist during this important germination time.
Later in the summer, you can further boost your lawn's health by hiring a landscaper to do an aeration service. Aeration removes plugs of soil from your lawn, which help loosen soil compaction and allow water, fertilizer, and oxygen to more easily get to the roots of your lawn.
Maintain Your Bedding Areas
The bedding areas of your yard landscaping can also take quite a beating over winter, with mulch and landscaping fabric looking disheveled and uneven. Check the condition of your landscaping fabric that is installed beneath your mulch because it can begin to come up from the soil as the mulch becomes moved and pushed aside.
Secure your landscape fabric with landscaping stakes spaced regularly and add new fabric where the old has become torn or is missing. Supplement your existing mulch with bags or a delivery of new mulch that you can smooth over the landscaping bed areas. This will restore your bedding areas to improve the look of your yard.
For more information on residential landscaping services, contact a landscaping company.
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