Gearing Up For Spring Landscaping
Ah, spring. Winter’s frost has cleared, the earth has warmed, and your garden is begging for your attention. But where to start?
Take a cue from our top spring landscaping tips to get your garden or yard ready for the new season. To get ahead on spring and bulk up on your landscaping materials, visit Pioneer Landscape Centers today.
SPRING YARD CLEANUP
First things first: it’s time to roll up your sleeves and pick up after winter. Grab a trash bag, a rake, and heavy gloves for this task.
If you raked your leaves thoroughly in the fall, you can probably count on avoiding the fungal disease known as “snow mold.” Still, a deep raking at the start of spring will help control thatch build-up. While you’re doing your deep raking, pick up pinecones and any other assorted bits that nature has left behind.
PRUNE TREE BRANCHES
Late winter to early spring is the best time for an annual tree pruning, because you can still see clearly into the tree canopy (before the leaves fill out and block access.) Remove dead, diseased, or crossing branches, and thin out competing or inward-growing branches to keep your tree healthy and beautiful.
PREP GARDEN BEDS
In between the cool season crops coming out and the warm season ones going in, the beds are empty and easy to access without the risk of damaging plants still in the ground. Improving the soil is your number one concern: most of the nutrients that were in the soil last time you tended to it have been taken up by last season’s plants, decomposed, or leeched away. Put them back in with a one-to-two-inch layer of compost worked into the top six inches of soil. You can also use shredded, rotted leaves (aka leaf mold) or composted wood chips.
FERTILIZE TREES AND SHRUBS
Your long-standing trees and shrubs also benefit from a top dressing of organic nutrients. While you’re making the rounds with your fertilizer, go ahead and apply a generous amount to the root zones. (Demand will be high with new growth coming on for spring.)
WEED NOW FOR LESS WORK LATER
If you have been gardening for more than a couple of years, by now you might have realized that the earlier in the season you catch and pull weeds, the less of a problem they will become later. So, start early and pull what you see as you come across it. This reduces the quantity of weeds that have the chance to go to seed and become too much to handle by summer.
PREVENT GARDEN PESTS
ANIMAL VISITORS
Garden pests are a worry that are best addressed by taking preventative measures. Many gardens need to be protected with rabbit-proof fences or deer fencing. If your area has a lot of deer, it would be smart to plant deer-resistant plants where fencing isn’t an option. Even more gardeners would be advised to investigate growing rabbit-proof flowers.
INSECTS
To prevent garden bugs, start by clearing and scrubbing the green house as well as any pots and planters you will reuse. This is another time to make sure your soil is healthy, clean, and well-balanced; weak soil leaves plants vulnerable to insects.
Spring is the most crucial time for preventing most infestations – use the following methods to tackle destructive pests:
● Plant Alyssum and buckwheat to attract beneficial insects like ladybugs, paper wasps, and hover flies, which will prey on dangerous pests.
● For irises: attack iris borers early (when the eggs are still hatching) with pesticides such as Orthene or Bulls Eye.
● For elm and apple trees: attack canker worms early, when they are less than half an inch in length. BT is the least-toxic pesticide option.
● Cabbage and onion maggots lay eggs in May. Cover your broccoli, radish, turnips, cabbage, and onions with a floating row cover to thwart them.
● You must pick off and destroy asparagus beetles before they spread and severely damage the plants, as soon as the vegetable starts growing.
LANDSCAPING MATERIALS
If you need proper landscaping materials for this spring, you’re in good hands with Pioneer Landscape Centers! Did you know that Pioneer is the leading landscape and hardscape supplier in the United States? We supply our customers across the country through our retail locations, and professional commercial, wholesale and civil construction divisions. Find a Store Near You or Contact Us today!