You don’t have to give up your entire weekend for a spring yard clean up. There are just a few essential chores to complete that will make your garden fresh and ready for another season.
To help make this year’s spring yard clean up easier, we put together a list of the most important gardening tasks with tips on how to get it all done fast.
Benefits of a Spring Yard Clean Up:
- Improves health and longevity of your garden.
- Restores aesthetic appearance of landscaping.
- Makes summer season maintenance easier.
Spring Yard Clean Up Guide:
Clear
Begin your yard cleaning by removing all debris. This includes raking and clearing dead leaves, twigs and branches, and any other litter that has accumulated over the fall and winter seasons. Make an effort to clean under trees or shrubs since these areas can have the most debris. Using a rake can help clear any thatch build up.
Tip: Easily bag leaves by raking them into rows instead of a large pile. It is easier to gather manageable sections from a row to transfer into bags.
Clean
While you’re doing your spring yard clean up, you might notice new growth or changes to your garden that require cleaning. If plants have overgrown, spread across the landscaping, or if weeds emerge, take time to restore the garden to its original appearance. This is a good opportunity to add preventative maintenance work such as landscape fabric, mulch, or herbicides for plant and pest control.
Tip: Examine your gardening tools to make sure they are sharp and in good working condition. Repair or replace any tools that are no longer functioning properly so that yard work is easier and safer.
Prune
The harsh autumn and winter weather can cause trees, grasses, and bushes to lose their shape. You will notice dead or weak branches, brown and decaying ornamental grass, or unshaped hedges and bushes. To maintain the health and aesthetics of your garden, cut back old and dying parts, reshape the hedges and bushes, and mow the lawn. This will revive your plants for many seasons to come.
Tip: Tie bundles of grass or lay tarps beneath bushes and trees before pruning. Once the cut is made, the fallen section is already held neatly together and ready to throw away.
Prepare
After a long winter season, it’s good to reinvigorate your garden with nutrients. Add compost, fertilizer, or topsoil and use a tiller or aerate the lawn so that your garden wakes up for another season of blooming. If you have new landscaping plans, the spring season is an ideal time to add plants, trees, and perennials.
Tip: Save money while filling empty spaces or expanding your garden by dividing plants into small sections and replanting them to new areas.
