Spring is here!
It's time to clean up your lawn and
landscape. Remove leaves that has blown up against the house and buried
themselves under your bushes. This
makes your landscape look better, but it also removes the
homes of unwanted pests. When to many leaves are left in the lawn
it could choke out your grass and the grass can become replaced with weeds.Trim back your fountain grasses to a few
inches from the ground. Remove last years stems and withered leaves
from your perennials if you haven't already. If you have any flowering
bushes that are getting out of hand, trim them back right after they
are done blooming, so it will have a full year to recover and it won't
interfere with any upcoming blooms. Cut your grass shorter on the first
mow. This encourages a faster green up. After the first mow, when you
cut your grass raise your mower deck as high as it will let you (At
least 3"). This encourages deeper roots that is more likely to have a
fighting chance up against weeds.
Check you landscape.
Each month evaluate your landscape. Do you have special interests through out the year? Do you have some type of evergreen for the winter? How about flowers for the summer? There are many deciduous trees and bushes that have beautiful fall colors (goldmound spirea, burning bush, red maple, black gum,...). Come up with a plan, so this Spring you have an idea of what you are wanting.
Decorating Tips
-Rearrange the Furniture: The new thing is to pull the furniture away from the walls and position them at interesting angles. Pulling the furniture to the center with a throw rug provides more of a personal conversation area.
-Grouping Figurines: Group related objects in groups of three or five. If two of those items are similar, (candlesticks) place one on top of a book to give it a different look.
-Remove Clutter: Less is sometimes more. This goes for in rooms and closets. Do not be afraid to get rid of that useless gift that Aunt Lucy bought you 10 years ago. If you have not used any item this past year, chances are you can live without it.
