Spring is finally here, so it’s time to Spruce up the Landscaping

It’s finally the season when everything springs into action again — including you. Now’s the time to roll up your sleeves and take care of the things you’ve neglected during the winter months. You’ll want to make sure your home is ready for April showers and the impending summer weather. Spring cleaning is a good place to start, but the turn of the season also presents an opportunity to be more thorough with your home maintenance.

Trim any overgrowth and clear your landscaping. Spring is also the best time to tidy up flowerbeds and give them a good facelift. You can also use dead organic matter from the compost pile as fertilizer. Add a layer of gravel on top of the soil to suppress weeds. Make sure to use compacted soil in low areas of your yard as rain can cause foundation damage and flooding.

Tend to your lawn now to ensure lush green grass during summer. Start by raking the lawn deeply to get rid of thatch and dead grass. This will also allow fertilizer and seed to penetrate easily. After cultivating, ensure that the lawn is firmed and ready for sowing. Try a shade-tolerance seed mix if your yard has a lot of tree cover or use a hard-wearing mix if your lawn gets a lot of traffic in the summer. Bald patches should be overseeded. Apply nitrogen fertilizer to give your grass a boost.

If you plan on growing vegetables, prepare the beds by getting rid of weeds and forking in garden compost. Cover the beds with plastic sheets to keep the soil warm until you are ready to sow the plants.

You will also need to make sure your faucets and sprinklers are functioning properly. Give your sprinklers a test run. Keep an eye out for leaks and malfunctioning sprinkler heads. Make sure the sprinklers are watering your grass and not porches or sidewalks.Test outside faucets by first letting them run. Place your finger over the opening. If the flow of water stops, you may need to call a professional to inspect your pipes. Also, look for any signs of leaking.

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