Now that the snow has melted and our lawns are greening up, it’s time for a seasonal check to streamline landscape maintenance. Why is it we enjoy getting outside with spring sunshine and rising temperatures? Yard work this time of year is one of our favourite activities as we add greenhouse browsing and buying landscape material to the picture.
1. Top up the mulch around trees and shrubs. Melting snow, rainfall, wind and other seasonal factors impact the efficacy of your mulch. A fresh top-up will make the whole area look clean and refreshed, keep future weeds from appearing and hold moisture in the soil.
2. Prune trees and shrubs if you are in an area where they haven’t burst out yet and are still in the dormant stage. For species that bloom on new wood, pruning off dead wood or broken branches sets them up for a healthy season.
3. Inspect hardscapes like pergolas and decks for damage. This is a good time to check over woodwork before the shrubs and plants grow up around the structure. Look for loose nails in wood structures, cracks in concrete, and loose stones in rock walls.
4. Grab your coffee and take a stroll over the lawn. Some areas may need weeding, re-seeding or planting. If certain areas are mushy underfoot, you can build that area up with soil, rake it flat and re-seed. If you’re planting for wildlife habitat, consider planting a low growing bee friendly lawn with a wildflower mix.
5. If you haven’t already done so, you will want to take the burlap wraps off your cedar hedge. They’ve protected your hedge all winter from salt and road grit, but now they need air flow through their branches and possibly, some trimming.
6. Time to take the landscaping fabric or leaf debris off your raised garden beds and turn the over with compost. What will you plant in your garden beds? If you’re growing vegetables, we recommend crop rotations for balanced soil composition.
7. Check the health of your trees. Large mature trees need assessment for winter damage, early signs of insect invasion and disease. Our certified arborists can give you valuable insight into the condition of your trees and design a long-term maintenance plan to keep them healthy.
Call us for a tree friendly consultation.
We can help! If your spring landscaping maintenance list is too long to manage, call us for assistance.
- Landscape design and consultations
- Tree planting and pruning
- Commercial and municipal landscaping
- Urban tree management and health assessments
- Dangerous tree removals
Call Twin Rivers Tree Services and Landscaping for a project consultation. We love talking about trees, taking care of urban forests and removing hazardous and fallen trees to keep communities safe. Don’t hesitate to call us for emergency tree services this winter if you need our help. We are conveniently located in Kamloops, Sechelt and the Fraser Valley.