As the weather warms up, you may be excited to wake up dormant grasses and start gardening. You’ve probably been the envy of your neighbor’s plants for many seasons, and now you’re ready to learn tips for creating beautiful spring color on your own land. Here’s what you need to keep your lawn and garden looking their best this year.
Creating a beautiful spring lawn
You can keep your lawn looking lush and beautiful without using a lot of chemicals. Forget about pesticides and fertilizers and follow our green tips for a beautiful spring lawn.
- ✓ Water the lawn once or twice a week with 4 to 6 inches of water. Make sure the soil is almost completely dry before watering again. Clay soils require less irrigation, while sandy soils dry out faster and require more frequent watering.
- ✓ Mow when you hay, don’t cut the grass too short. Keeping leaves a few inches long will prevent soil moisture loss and keep weeds from germinating. If your lawn is overgrown, remove no more than 1/3 of the leaves to avoid stressing the lawn.
- ✓ Use cut grass as a natural fertilizer on your lawn. Add real fertilizers only when the soil is low in nutrients. Then use a small amount of slow-release fertilizer to help the grass absorb nutrients better.
- ✓ Aerate and weed your lawn in spring to promote better growth and a greener lawn. Aeration also helps reduce thatch buildup.
Creating a beautiful spring garden
If you’ve ever dreamed of creating a garden, you’d be truly proud of, follow these tips to grow beautiful flowers with minimal effort.
- ✓ Install garden edging to separate flower beds from the lawn. Plastic, metal, slate or concrete are all potential finishing materials.
✓ Trim perennial shrubs and remove last year’s plant debris.
✓ Prepare the soil by adding homemade compost, composted manure, or store-bought plants. Use a heavy-duty trowel to turn the soil and mix in the organic matter. The goal was to create a texture for the crunchy brownies.
✓ Plant annuals to bridge the gap between perennials. To speed up the process, plant the seeds indoors in small containers in late winter so they have time to grow before the weather warms up. You can also buy flowers that have already started to grow and transplant them into your garden.
✓ Follow label directions for spacing, watering, and preferred sun level. “Full sun” means that the plant prefers 4 to 6 hours of sunlight, especially in the afternoon. “Part shade” means plants grow better when they receive a few hours of sunlight in the morning. “Full shade” plants grow best in direct sun. - ✓ Add 2 to 4 inches of mulch to give your flower beds a neat look. Mulching also has the practical purpose of conserving water and preventing weed growth.
- ✓ Aim to provide your plants with about 1 inch of water per week. Watering sparingly and deep watering is better than frequent shallow watering. Feed the flowers once a week with a 20-20-20 balanced fertilizer mix in a watering can. Follow the directions on the package for best results.
- ✓ Check the flowers regularly. Try to extend the flowering period. Trim floppy or overgrown plants to make your garden look better and encourage new growth.
If you need help creating beautiful spring color for your lawn and garden this year, please contact RDK Landscaping. We offer a variety of services to help your lawn and flowers grow well.