As the snow melts away and days of freezing temperatures dwindle, spring clean-up landscaping is vital to ensure a beautiful, ready-to-use outdoor space as soon as warm weather arrives. Shake off the winter blues and prepare your home and garden for spring’s new beginnings!
From cleaning up yard debris to properly pruning plants and maintaining a paver patio or decking materials, follow these tips to bring your outdoor space back to life. If you’re a previous or existing Aspen Outdoor Designs client looking for assistance with your spring maintenance or a new project, contact us today to see how we can help get your outdoor space picture-perfect for spring.
Clearing Debris
Winter debris can significantly impact your yard’s health and appearance, whether it’s fallen leaves or broken branches. As debris accumulates, it can smother grass, promote mold growth, and create a breeding ground for pests.
Remove fallen leaves, branches, and other debris.
Begin by raking up leaves, picking up branches, and removing any other debris collected over the winter.
Clean out gutters and downspouts.
Ensure your gutters and downspouts are free from leaves and other blockages to prevent water damage and buildup through proper drainage.
Pruning Shrubs and Trees
Pruning is essential to your spring maintenance, but only if necessary, as your plants should typically require very little. Maintaining good plant health includes minimal pruning restricted to containing overgrowth and removing dead or broken branches.
Always make clean cuts with a sharp tool. Cuts should be at an angle about one-quarter of an inch above a bud to guide new growth. Lightly prune evergreens just before new growth begins in spring. Pinch off old blossoms to keep perennials bushy and to promote flowering during the growing season. It is helpful to do this before spring to make room for new plant growth. Ornamental grasses left over winter should be “dead-headed” in late winter or early spring to just above the ground.
Lawn Care and Maintenance
A lush, green lawn is the pride of any home, and reviving your lawn after a long winter is essential for maintaining its health and beauty.
Apply a balanced fertilizer.
Apply a balanced fertilizer to your lawn for the essential nutrients it needs to thrive. Fertilizer can be applied as soon as the ground has thawed and before weeds and grass begin to grow. Including a pre-emergent can prevent weeds from taking hold early in the growing season.
Reseed bare patches
IF pre-emergent has not been applied to the lawn, identify any bare or thin patches in your lawn and reseed them to encourage new growth. Choose a grass seed that matches your existing lawn and lightly rake the soil to ensure good seed-to-soil contact.
Paver Patio Maintenance
Paver patios, sidewalks, and driveways are naturally low-maintenance, but a little bit goes a long way toward enhancing longevity and appearance. A clean and well-maintained patio will prevent damage from weather, general wear, and staining.
Power-washing and cleaning
Using a pressure-washer is a quick and easy way to clean your patio pavers. However, never use the machine’s highest power settings at the risk of damaging the surface. The nozzle should be kept at a 30-degree angle, 12 inches away from the surface, with a fanned nozzle setting. You must also be cautious about washing out the paver jointing material. If jointing sand washes out, contact Aspen to have the patio re-sanded.
Alternatively, you can clean your pavers with a nylon-bristled brush, mild dish soap, and warm water.
Sealing
Aspen cleans and seals every patio paver upon installation, but we recommend reapplying a sealer every three to five years. Contact our office today to receive a quote for patio cleaning and re-sealing.
Treating grass, leaf, and oil stains
Grass and leaf stains will usually go away with time, but to remove stains right away you can use a solution of 50% water and 50% bleach. Always do a test patch first on an unobtrusive area to ensure results are acceptable.
Household dish soap and water can remove light oil stains, but deeper stains may require a general-purpose concrete cleaner or degreaser.
Getting Started with Aspen Outdoor Designs
Getting an early head start on your spring landscaping ensures your outdoor spaces are ready to flourish and look their best through the season ahead. Aspen Outdoor Designs can help with all your custom landscaping, hardscaping, and carpentry projects. Contact our experts today, and let’s clean up your existing space or create an all-new outdoor oasis.