You’ve successfully survived the cold New Jersey winter, and now is the time to start thinking about your spring landscape. Following is a landscaping checklist for March that will have your yard looking fabulous all season long.
Early preparation
Like any worthwhile project, planning a landscape design takes time and effort. The first step in having a fantastic-looking yard is to prepare for the project.
Equipment repair
Any homeowner who takes pride in his or her landscape surely uses a lawnmower and other lawn maintenance equipment throughout the spring and well into the fall. When this equipment sits unused during the winter months, it can fall into a state of disrepair. March is the ideal time of year to inspect your landscaping tools. Clean any tools that are merely dirty. If you have tools that need minor repairs, make them yourself if you can. If you cannot, then bring them to a repair shop. If any tools need to be replaced, doing so at this time of year will allow you have full use of them all season long.
Clean up from winter
The winter season can be hard on a landscape. The first step in getting your garden ready for spring is to clean up the winter damage. Getting your NJ landscaping ready for the upcoming season takes some hard work, but the results are well worth the effort you put in. Eliminate any flowers and plants that died over the winter. This is the right time to cut back any ornamental grasses you have in your landscape. Trim them down to about six inches. Trim the foliage of perennial flowers that you did not remove in the fall as well. Do not forget to gather up all of the trimmings and dispose of them at your local dump.
Weed killer
As the weather begins to get warmer in March, the land softens. These are the perfect conditions for applying some pre-emergent weed killer around your landscape. Applying weed killer before your plants and flowers begin to grow will help to ensure your yard and garden will not be plagued by weeds all season.
Lawn Care
Although the yard might not be the focal point of your landscape, it is a vital part of it. It is important to take steps now to make sure your yard is vibrant and healthy all season long.
Fill in bare patches
One of the first signs of the end of winter you might notice in your yard is the presence of several bare spots. Unfortunately, the grass commonly falls victim to cold New Jersey winters. If you ignore the bare spots, your lawn will not only be unsightly, but it will also adversely affect the health of it as well. It is advisable to fill in the bare patches in the early spring. Filling in the spots is not difficult. Just mix grass seed into some soil and place the mixture over the patches of bare land. Water the area thoroughly and continue to keep it moist until the new grass starts to grow.
Plan your garden
The time to have a full-blown garden will come before you know it. But, before that time comes, it is important to take some time to plan out what you want your finished product to look like.
Attend flower shows
At this time of year, there is an abundance of flower shows that are open to the public. Take some time out of your busy schedule and attend one or two of these shows to see what the new trends for the upcoming season are.
Shop catalogs
Peruse gardening catalogs to gather ideas about different flowers to plant in your garden. If the catalogs offer the opportunity to buy seeds, take a chance and go for it.
Trees and shrubs
Trees and shrubs are some of the most important aspects of a landscape, and they need some care and attention at this time of year.
Prune
The early spring is the best time to do some pruning around your landscape. Be sure to attack any shrubs that produce suckers, such as forsythia and dogwoods. But, avoid pruning spring-blooming shrubs such as evergreens, maples, and birches.
Seeding
Beautiful flowers are the heroes of a garden. But, they all need to start out as seeds. Here are some tips that should help you turn ordinary seeds into flowers that are the envy of the neighborhood.
Stock up
Stores will start stocking seeds in the early spring. Now is the time to start stockpiling the seeds you will need to create a beautiful garden.
Start your seeds indoors
At this time of year, it is still too cold to plant your seeds outside. However, you can progress with your garden by starting your seeds inside. Once they have taken root, you can move them outside when the weather gets a bit warmer.
If you need help preparing your landscape for the upcoming season, turn to professionals who can help you. Our staff has the experience to make your garden the envy of the Garden State!
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