Well spring is finally here! This is the time of year when it makes sense again to get out and get busy.  Improve your yard with these spring tasks. Here are some things you can start doing to get your yard ready for BBQs, pool parties, bonfires and any other fabulous things you do in the spring-fall season. Acting on a few areas in early spring ensures more enjoyment and less work later in the season.

1. Use organic weed and feed on your grass to block new weeds from popping up in your yard. Espoma has a good weed and feed and it doesn’t have harmful chemicals like almost all the other products. You can purchase it at Southern States in Ellicott City, the Anne Arundel CoOp in Glen Burnie and Sun Nurseries in Woodbine. This weekend is the time to act since the proper time to spread this product for effectiveness is when the redbuds bloom.

2. Assess your landscape beds– do they need weeding, mulching, a whole new start? If you don’t have a lot of time, right now is the time to prioritize these three tasks because if they are not dealt with now things just get worse! At the very least get those weeds out and get your mulch down. Do you know that most landscape companies apply a weed preventer before putting mulch down. According to me this is terrible because the harsh chemicals pollute our water, are harmful for kids, pets and our own health and eventually contribute to an unhealthy ecosystem in your landscape and garden beds. Weed by hand or hire a company who does so (Lauren’s Garden Service, if I do say so myself) because it really doesn’t take that much longer and if you keep up with the weeds it takes less and less time over the years. We also have a free ebook for eliminating weeds naturally:

Natural Weed Control

3. Make some plans to fill in bare spaces. Spring is a great time to plant new shrubs, trees and perennials and they’ll fill in open areas to keep out the weeds. Here are some of my favorites:

Shrubs:

Pieris, variegated pieris- shade, low maintenance, deer resistant

PJM rhododendron- shade, low maintenance, native

Deciduous azaleas- shade

Mahonia- shade, deer resistant

Mountain Laurel- shade, native

Knockout rose- sun, pretty, continuous bloomer and disease resistant, low maintenance

Judd Viburnum- sun, pretty, low maintenance

Tardiva hydrangea- sun, pretty, low maintenance

Leucothoe- sun, shade, tolerates wet conditions, deer resistant, native, low maintenance

Trees:

Satori Dogwood- native, low maintenance, gorgeous in spring

Forest Pansy, Ace of Hearts and Heart of Gold Redbuds- native, gorgeous in spring, low maintenance

River birch- native, low maintnenace and pretty bark

 

Perennials:

Heuchera- for shade, caramel, plum pudding- these are colorful all year, native and deer resistant

Hellebore- for shade, deer resistant and native, a ton of varieties that bloom first thing in the spring

Achellia (Yarrow)- for sun, native, deer resistant, low maintenance

Agastache (Anise)- for sun, native, low maintenance, attracts butterflies

 

There are so many! Give us a call if you would like to consult on the best plants for your location- 410-461-2535.

4. Fertilize– now is a good time to put some natural fertilizer down. Compost is a great, natural ‘slow release’ fertilizer that provides a wide range of nutrients necessary for healthy gardens and landscapes. Make sure you have a good source for your compost so that it doesn’t come with weed seeds. There is a place in Howard County called Veterans Compost that I hear good things about.

5. Wait a bit longer for your annuals. It’s still too chilly. Last year you would have been okay planting summer annuals at this time but this year its too early since it’s been chilly. The safe rule of thumb is mothers day. Sometimes I start early but its a risk. For now you can plant things like pansies, spring bulbs (they have them at Home Depot this year, like already ready to bloom) and primrose.

6. Get your mower in for service if you need it! The wait times will be LONG if you wait until it warms up.

Most importantly get out and enjoy the return of the green!

Please contact us if you have any questions at all, we’re here to help!