Kick Off Your Spring Landscaping the Right Way

Winter is hard on gardens and landscaped areas of your home. Now that spring is here, it’s time to get your gardens and landscape areas ready, Wisconsin. Here are some spring landscaping tips to help you get started!

We’re always anxious to get started on that first beautiful day. But beware: Mother Nature may still throw a surprise snowstorm or late frost our way. The ideal time to begin planting is after Memorial Day.

Before you get started, we suggest a thorough clean-up of debris, dead leaves and branches along with newly-sprouting weeds.

If your perennials weren’t cut back last fall, they’re probably looking a little rough right now. Some perennials, like ornamental grasses, are left to provide winter interest. Most perennials die back to the ground during winter. If your perennials weren’t cut back, once you begin to see new growth, it’s safe to prune them to ground level.

If ornamental grasses were left for winter interest, they can be cut back. There’s no need to wait for new growth. We recommend cutting grasses to within a few inches of ground level; new growth will occur when it’s ready.

Most spring-blooming trees and shrubs formed their flower buds last summer or during the fall. Blooming trees and shrubs need to be pruned accordingly to provide blooms for the season. Pruning before blooming will result in pruning off this year’s flowers.

Perennials and shrubs enjoy a good feeding in the spring during their initial growth. Add a top dressing of compost, manure or a slow-release organic fertilizer to your beds. If you’re using synthetic fertilizers, start applying them after your plants show signs of new growth.

Mulch does many things for landscaped areas: It conserves water, cools plant roots, feeds the soil and helps to smother weeds. Wait until the soil warms up and dries out a bit before replenishing your mulch. Be sure to keep it away from the stems and crowns of your plant material.

As a final touch, a crisp edge around your beds provides a polished look and prevents your lawn from creeping into your landscape areas.

For help kicking off the year with a fresh look, call one of our horticulturists or landscape designers for assistance with your landscape beds.