Spring is a time of new beginnings, and that includes sprucing up your landscape. From planting new flowers to power washing your deck, there are many ways to refresh your outdoor space. However, it’s important to keep safety in mind when undertaking any landscape projects. Here are some tips to help you stay safe while getting your yard ready for spring:
Wear proper clothing: When working outside, be sure to wear closed-toed shoes and weather-appropriate clothing. This will help protect you from both the elements and any sharp tools or landscaping equipment you may be using.
Create a plan: Before you start any project, it’s always a good idea to create a plan. Decide what needs to be done and gather all of the materials and tools you’ll need ahead of time. This will help you work more efficiently and avoid any last-minute trips to the store.
Take breaks: It’s important to take breaks when working outside, especially on hot days. Drink plenty of water and take frequent breaks in the shade to prevent heat exhaustion. And, if possible, try to schedule outdoor projects for cooler days.
Spring Landscape Maintenance Musts to Get Your Yard Ready for Safe Outdoor Gatherings
More than ever, we’re anticipating spring—a return to more time outside and meeting up with friends and family we’ve missed while winter weather kept many of us shut in. If one good thing has come out of the pandemic, it’s a renewed appreciation of nature and the outdoors. In many cases, our backyards became the favorite dining spots and social hub, of course with safe distances in mind.
The time at home also gave us an opportunity to really use our living spaces, inside and out. Now, it’s time to prepare our great outdoor spaces for safe outdoor gatherings with these five spring landscape maintenance musts.
#1 Clean Out Messy Beds
Remove leftover leaves from beds and cut back expired perennials, including ornamental grass, so they can sprout new growth as the weather warms up. Add a neat edge to the beds with crisp corners that define the space. Proper edging gives beds a “coloring within the lines” effect. Finally, refresh mulch. Some of our clients are opting to replace mulch with river rock because it requires less maintenance.
#2 Trim Tree Limbs and Wayward Branches
Diseased, dead, and dying tree limbs should be removed because they create significant liability. Storm winds and freezing rain (or snow) we sometimes get in spring can cause compromised limbs to fall and potentially damage your home or other structures on your property. Spring is also a great time for pruning trees that interfere with great views, and wayward shrubbery that brushes up against a house or blocks walkways.
#3 Replace Tired Plants
We don’t always think of the fact that plants age, but they do—and some are better than others. Tired plants are more susceptible to disease and can require more care to thrive. In the end, you might be over-treating a plant you’re trying to save when the most sustainable option would be to replace it with a healthy plant. On the other hand, you might want to test out a new plant variety, or perhaps the plants in your landscape are requiring more maintenance than you want.
Spring is a great time to consider replacing run-down plants, swapping labor-intensive varieties for low-maintenance plants, or checking out a new variety that will add interest to your landscape.
#4 Give Your Lawn a Breather
Lawn core aeration is an essential, annual service that involves mechanically removing plugs from turf and soil to allow nutrients, oxygen, and moisture to reach grass roots. We would like to pair aeration with overseeding to fill in the weak areas of turf. Without regular aeration, your lawn is probably not properly absorbing the fertilizer and nutrients applied to it during maintenance visits.
#5 Plan a New Project
While not technically maintained, enhancing your landscape is ongoing and will keep your property looking fresh and functioning the way you want. Since you’ve probably been spending more time at home this year with the pandemic, consider what features would help you maximize the way you use your backyard space. We’d be happy to perform a free site assessment to offer some ideas.
Get in Shape for Safe, Spring Outdoor Socializing
You’d spring clean your house and prepare it for guests to arrive for a party, and the same applies to your outdoor living spaces. From spring cleanups to tree and shrub care, Neave Group will get you set for the warm season so you can enjoy reuniting with friends and family outside.
