With spring just around the corner, now is the perfect time to start prepping your landscape for the upcoming growing season. A little attention to your garden now can set the stage for healthier plants, lusher lawns, and a more beautiful outdoor space all year long.
Here are some practical, manageable steps homeowners can take to get their landscape spring-ready!
- Start with a Clean-Up: Pick up fallen branches, remove dead material, cut back perennials (if not done in the fall), and clear out garden beds. Cleaning out beds allows air, sunlight, and water to reach emerging plants.
- Refresh Mulch: Mulch does more than provide a clean backdrop for your plants. Adding a layer of mulch helps to regulate soil temperature, retain moisture, protect tree roots, and suppress weeds. Top-off beds with 1-2 inches of fresh mulch to start your spring garden off right.
- Prune with Purpose: Remove dead and damaged branches and lightly shape summer-blooming shrubs. Avoid heavy pruning on spring-flowering plants (like lilacs or azaleas) until after they bloom (otherwise you risk damaging young leaves and buds).
- Check Your Lawn: A healthy lawn starts with early care! To get the best results, complete your spring lawn maintenance/prep when the soil is thoroughly dry; otherwise, you might unknowingly disturb new grass shoots. Rake lightly to remove thatch buildup, aerate the soil if it feels compacted, fill in bare spots with seed, and top-dress with fine compost.
- Divide and Transplant: Divide summer- and fall-blooming perennials like yarrow, rudbeckia, and echinacea in spring, and divide your spring-blooming perennials after they’ve bloomed (or wait until fall). Dividing and transplanting will help control your plants’ size and health and create new ones for your garden!
- Inspect Irrigation & Drainage: Before the summer heat really sets in, turn on your irrigation system and check for leaks or broken heads. Take some time to adjust spray patterns to avoid poor coverage and overspray onto hardscape (which wastes water). Make sure downspouts and drainage areas are clear.
- Add a Pop of Seasonal Color: Nothing says spring like fresh flowers! Cold-tolerant annuals like geraniums, snapdragons, and primroses can be planted in early spring. Pansies, violas, and other early annuals can be planted in containers by entryways for immediate impact, but keep an eye out for cold-snaps and lingering frost.
- Feed Your Soil to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: Soil, often overlooked, is the largest carbon sink because of the millions of living organisms within it. Keeping soil healthy is a key component to addressing climate change and keeping carbon out of the atmosphere! Minimizing site disturbance, using organic amendments, reducing chemical and fertilizer use, and leaving leaves in the yard to decompose are all positive approaches to enhancing soil health and reducing the carbon footprint.
- Define Edges & Hardscape: Re-edge garden beds, power wash patios and walkways, and repair loose pavers and stones. These finishing touches create a polished look without major financial investment.
- Evaluate Your Space: Take a quick inventory — what thrived last year? What struggled? Do you wish you had more color? More privacy? A simple, thoughtful plan can help guide your spring purchases and prevent impulse or unnecessary buys.
Getting your landscape spring-ready doesn’t require a full renovation. With a weekend or two of focused effort, you can create a strong foundation for the growing season and enjoy a yard that feels polished and vibrant.