Now that spring is in the air, it’s time to evaluate our lawn and garden situations.
Is your property ready for the growing season?
If not, that is quite alright. Cedar Horticulture has you covered!
We specialize in landscape maintenance and our custom seasonal packages are built to rejuvinate the lawn & landscape.
Here are some garden chores we recommend knocking off the checklist this spring.
- Remove debris leftover from winter.
- Soil testing.
- Garden cleanup/deadheading.
- Shrub/tree trimming.
- Reseed bare/thin spots in the turf.
- Lawn & garden fertilization.
- Redefining garden bed edges.
- Mulch applications.
- Seasonal flower plantings.
Debris removal
Over the course of the winter months, even the most manicured landscapes will encounter stray leaves and fallen tree branches. Now would be an obvious time to clean up after old man winter or any mess left over from the fall that might have been overlooked.
Soil testing
In order to achieve optimal available nutrients in the lawn & gardens, the soils must be monitored. Blindly throwing down chemical fertilizers without analyzing the soil is not a sustainable approach to landscaping. We recommend having the soil tested at least every 3 years. This will help save money and yield greater results.
Deadheading/weeding
Spring is the time when our beloved perennials begin to grow back, but unfortunately annual weed growth increases as well. It is important to begin the year with good weed control if we would like to avoid having our gardens overrun by them. These early spring months provide a window of opportunity to cut back last seasons growth on grasses & perennials, apply pre-emergent weed control and finish with a application of bark mulch.
Seasonal pruning
As we know, living in New England each season is unique to its own. This goes the same for pruning requirements in our landscapes. All ornamental trees & shrubs have an optimal time for trimming and shaping, this can sometimes be difficult to understand for some homeowners and contractors. During our complete spring cleanup we remove dead/damaged limbs and prune back shrubs that bloom on the current seasons growth. Such as rose of sharon, butterfly bush, ornamental grasses, herbaceous perennials, certain varieties of hydrangea etc.
Spring seeding
Even though we suggest making most lawn renovations during the fall seasons. Correcting lawn damages and filling in bare spots can properly be taken care of in the spring. Keep in mind there are several key factors to success when planting grass seed in the spring. Such as timing, soil temperatures, weed germination & soil quality.
Lawn & garden fertilization
As our landscapes grow, so does its need for Essential plant nutrients. We provide the soils with these nutrients in the form of a fertilizer, both organically or traditionally. Once the soil temperatures reach 55° we know it’s time to begin our lawn care program. At Cedar Horticulture we offer clients a 6 step weed and feed option as well as an organic fertilizer program.
Garden bed edging
A well defined garden edge is the ultimate landscaping detail that really shows off the formal presentation of your property.
Having a crisp border separating your lawn and garden areas will help with mulch runoff, issues with weeds all while providing a well delineated look. We offer both natural garden bed Redefining as well as the installation of steel edging.
Mulch applications
One of our personal favorite chores in the landscape is applying organic mulches come spring time, right as the perennials make their first appearance. The aroma of shredded bark mulch is almost as inviting as the rich color it provides. We may enjoy the looks and smells of organic mulch, however the benefits do not stop there. More importantly introducing healthy amounts of organic mulch to our landscape beds will assist in moisture retention, weed suppression, soil quality & soil temperatures. All very important benefits for maintaining a sustainable landscape.
Seasonal flower plantings.
In our colder climate of Western Massachusetts, flowering shrubs and perennials may seem to take their time blooming. So to speed up the spring energy we recommend introducing cold hardy annuals to our containers and garden beds. Try mixing in these flowering annuals alongside any bulbs planted in the fall for a warming spring show.
-viola
-dianthus
-petunia
-snapdragon
-impatiens
-geraniums
If you have any garden questions or would like to request an estimate for landscaping services, follow the link below.