Do you have Spring fever?
I’m terrible for it – every year I jump the gun and get the patio furniture out and garden planted far too soon (often losing new plantings to frost) – but the sunshine beckons and my heart happy-dances at the idea of using my favourite room in the entire house… the patio.
Okay, so that’s not my patio… yet.
It’s late March and the weather in SW Ontario is still averaging around 6°C (43°F) – so much too cold to actually sit out, but perfect timing for Spring gardening and yard prep!
April, perhaps late April depending on your locale, is a great time to get your yard prepped for the thick, lush lawn that tops most homeowner’s lists. Nothing screams “curb appeal” more than a healthy, weed-free, manicured lawn.
Here are a few to-do’s to get your Spring gardening off on the right food:
(once the risk of frost has passed)
- Rake and de-thatch your lawn; remove leaves and dead grass to allow for sun penetration and better water absorption for those Spring showers.
- Aerate your lawn; allows air, water and nutrients into the soil and helps produce deeper roots.
- Top-dress your lawn with ¼ to ½” quality soil; the soil should contain compost, peat moss and loam to improve your soil conditions. This will also help level out any dips and divots that may have happened over the winter.
- Overseeding; if you have winter damage, overseeding as part of your Spring gardening will fill in gaps and allow the grass seed to start before the scorching sun of summer. Spring rain will also keep your watering bill down as your new lawn starts to grow.
- Fertilizing; late April and May are the best time to add in your Spring fertilizer. The type of fertilizer you need will depend on your grass and soil conditions, so hiring an expert is your best route. Note: don’t fertilize within 30 days of overseeding.
TruGreen offers these Spring gardening lawn services as well as surface insect recovery treatment to save your back and your wallet. They also offer tree and shrub services like Spring Dormant Oil application which helps control difficult insects before they can damage your trees and shrubs and Spring Root Fertilization which injects nutrients deep into the root system to help trees recover from Winter stress and promote ‘vigorous’ growth.
None of this has to be expensive either! Call TruGreen to request a quote on yard services (all natural and organic available too!) – you might be surprised to find out that their care packages often come in at less than it would take for you to do it yourself. Think aerator rentals, travel time to and from to rent and return, separate fertilizers by season, topsoil purchase and delivery and grass seed…. and that doesn’t even include your time and effort.
Now that your lawn is prepped and ready and your trees and shrubs have had their ‘vitamins’ – it’s time to move focus to your porch and/or patio:
Spring gardening and yard prep includes decor – or it does in my books anyways.
Patio decor can often be found at Goodwill stores or on Kijiji. Don’t overlook a deal because of colour – a can of spray paint can take 10 un-matched items and make them perfectly coordinated to decorate your outdoor oasis.
As Spring moves on, you’ll also notice an increase in the amount of patio furniture for sale – on Kijiji, at garage sales etc. Let someone else’s choice to upgrade, work to your benefit.
The above photo makes me twitch – I’d repaint to get a crisp, clean, non-chipped look – but to each his own. Just think how inexpensive these pieces would have been!
Peruse Houzz, surf Pinterest and scour magazines for your ideal decor, then start your Spring gardening and yard prep early (like now) to bring it all to fruition so that you can enjoy it as the weather warms.
Contact TruGreen today to request a quote.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of TruGreen.ca. The opinions and text are all mine.