Many people engage in a vigorous spring cleaning of the whole house. Don’t forget to clean your outdoor living space, too. Here are some tips on things to be sure and do to prepare for spending a lot of time outside.
Clear Debris
Over the winter, leaves and other debris end up on your patio, porch, lawn, and landscape beds. Rake this litter up and remove it. Many pests overwinter in leaves and organic debris, so removing it will help reduce your pest load as well as making the area look nicer.
Inspect and Clean Outdoor Furniture
Outdoor furniture takes a lot of abuse. Clean it with soap and water to remove dirt that accumulated during the winter. Inspect furniture, especially deck chairs and other things that stay outside in the weather, to make sure they do not have rust or damage that would make them break under use. If needed, give the furniture a new coat of weather-resistant paint to spruce it up further.
Clean and Repair Your Patio or Deck
Patios and decks need regular maintenance. Sweep them off then inspect them for damage. Stone and paver patios and decks need to be hosed off carefully to avoid washing the sand out of the joints. Keep the water moving and don’t focus on the joints. Wooden decks need to be hosed off, too. Every two or three years, pavers and concrete should be chemically cleaned and resealed to keep them fresh and hold their color. Wooden decks can be cleaned and stained, and sealed.
Garden Bed Preparation
Remove dead plants and debris. Prune overgrown shrubs and cut back ornamental grasses and perennials to make room for new growth to sprout. Adding a layer of fresh compost to add organic matter on top of the soil will help your plants thrive. Apply slow release fertilizer to the plants to give them a boost and help them to grow well during the coming season.
Inspect and Maintain the Grill
If you have a grill, be sure and inspect it carefully and make sure all the connections are tight, there are no leaks, and you have a full tank of gas. If your grill uses charcoal, clean out all the ashes and lay in a supply of charcoal for the coming grilling season. Remove any rust from your grill and seal it so no further damage occurs.
Revive the Lawn
Rake the lawn to remove debris and thatch. Spread a layer of compost on the soil and rake it in well. Apply fertilizer and water well. If you have bare spots, spread seed into the compost so it will fill in.
Clean Outdoor Lighting
Clean the surface of all your lights with a damp cloth. Test each light to make sure the bulbs work. Replace any burned-out bulbs. Inspect the wiring for damage and repair any bad spots. Make sure lights are aimed properly and re-aim any that have gotten knocked around during the winter storms.
Inspect and Clean Gutters
Before the spring rains, clean out your rain gutters. Make sure the gutters are in good repair without any leaks. Replace any damaged sections. Make sure the downspout goes well away from the foundation. If there is erosion from the downflow of water, place a weed barrier and rocks around it to protect your soil from washing away.
Check and Repair Fencing
If you have a fence, check for loose or damaged boards. Replace any problem boards with new ones. If needed, re-stain the fence or paint it to spiff it up. Check gates to make sure they lock securely and will open easily.
Organize Outdoor Storage Areas
Clean your outdoor storage areas. Arrange and organize the items in it so you can find what you are looking for. Remember to keep fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals under lock and key so children and pets do not get into them.
Pest Control
Bugs and rodents come out in the spring. If pests are eating your plants, you can use an insecticide to help control them. Keeping your landscape clean from debris is a great way to safely limit pests before using chemicals.
Add Some Greenery
Add shrubs to replace any that died during the winter, like evergreens that got winter burn. We usually use Mother’s Day as a mark of when frost chances are gone to add seasonal color annual flowers. New plants are a fun way to start the year and add interest to the garden.
Get Help with Spring Inspections
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping can help get ready for the outdoor season. We can inspect your lights and make sure they are working properly and are aimed in the right direction. We offer patio maintenance and have the equipment and trained staff needed to do it properly. Finally, we offer a garden care program that includes weeding, pruning, new mulch, and pre-emergent to leave your landscape beds crisp and renewed. Call the office at (816) 825-2524 to get more information or schedule a consult.
Spring is a wonderful time in the garden, but it can bring some problems. Here are some of the problems we at Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping see the most and how to solve them.
Weed Infestation
Weeds start to grow in the spring just when the plants you want need the most nutrients. In addition, weeds compete for sunlight and room to spread out. Using three inches of mulch around your plants causes weed seeds to starve before they grow tall enough to get sunlight. Applying a pre-emergent on top of the mulch will prevent seeds from germinating. The few weeds that survive this double threat can be easily removed by hand.
Pest Infestation
Insects and other pests wake up about the time your plants have lots of tender new growth on them. This new growth is like a salad bar for bugs. Cleaning out any leaves or other debris early in the spring will remove a lot of these pests because that is where they overwinter. Planting plants that flower from early spring will help attract pest predators to eat the bad bugs. Spot treat any bad pest problems as soon as they become apparent to prevent their spread. Don’t routinely spray your plants unless you recognize a problem, as over-spraying insecticides can kill pollinators.
Disease Outbreaks
The spring rains and long nights are perfect conditions for fungal and bacterial diseases to thrive on your plants. The longer the leaves of a plant are wet, especially at night, the more likely the plant is to get diseases. One of the things you can do to limit moisture on the leaves of your plant is to use drip irrigation. In addition to saving tons of water, drip irrigation keeps the leaves dryer. Plant your plants far enough apart to allow air to circulate between the plants to help dry wet leaves quickly. Water in the morning before 10 a.m. to allow the plants to dry all day if some water splashes on them. Finally, if your plants get a disease, treat it promptly. Remove dead diseased plants and discard them in the trash, not the compost pile.
Overwatering or Underwatering
Spring either comes with lots of rain or not enough. It can be hard to know whether to water your plants when rainfall comes unpredictably. If you water and it rains, the plants get too much water. If you don’t water, you risk the plants getting dehydrated or dying. The best way to deal with this is to vary your watering schedule by rainfall. Install a rain sensor on your irrigation system so you don’t water in the rain. If it has been raining for a few days, pause your irrigation until it dries out some. Use mulch to retain water and allow the water into the soil slowly instead of all at once.
Soil Compaction
Wet weather increases the danger of soil compaction. Roots cannot grow well in compacted soil and water tends to run off instead of soaking in. To avoid compaction, avoid working in your garden when the soil is very wet. Raised beds help drainage so the soil doesn’t stay excessively wet for long periods of time. Mixing compost into the soil helps aerate it and helps avoid compaction.
Poor Plant Growth
Some plants may be slow to begin growing or show symptoms of nutrient deficiencies. Fertilizing in the fall before the temperature drops helps give plants enough nutrients to get through winter and begin to green up in spring. Doing a soil test once a year in the winter or early spring will tell you what nutrients to add in the spring to make sure your plants have everything they need to grow and flourish. You can get soil test instructions from your county extension agent.
Temperature Fluctuations
Spring temperatures can fluctuate wildly between beautiful days and freezing days. This is hard on plants. Mulch helps stabilize the soil temperature so it doesn’t change as much, but doesn’t do anything about air temperature changes. Be ready to use frost blankets or to bring potted plants inside when it gets cold. If you start seeds inside, be sure to gradually acclimate the seedlings to the outdoors before planting them or they will not survive. In our climate, we usually use Mother’s Day as a marker to know the threat of freeze is over for the season.
Garden Care Program Can Help
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping has a garden care program that will do everything necessary to start your plants off well in the spring. We will remove any winter leaves and debris from the beds. In addition to topping off the mulch in your landscape beds, we will apply pre-emergent and fertilize your plants. Our care extends throughout the year to keep your plants and beds looking their best all year round. Call the office to sign up. If you have projects, schedule a consult to discuss them with our experts. Don’t wait, as our schedule fills up quickly.
Watching birds is a nice way to spend some time in the winter when it is too cold outside for people to be comfortable. Feeding birds makes sure you have some birds to watch. Here are some winter bird feeding tips to help you attract the birds you want to your yard.
Food Determines Bird Species
Cheap bird seed mixes have a lot of fillers that birds, like choosy teenagers, will pick through and waste. The best general food for birds is black-oil sunflower seed. The thin shells are easy to get into for most birds and the high fat helps the birds stay warm. Suet placed in a suet holder is another source of calories birds appreciate in the winter.
Feeders Can Be Simple
You can buy very fancy feeders, but for beginners, a hopper-style feeder is easiest. Suet goes in a suet holder. Be sure to wire the suet holder closed, or an enterprising raccoon will take the suet cake out of it and leave with it.
Choose a feeder with a roof to protect the seed from getting wet and moldy. Make sure the feeder has drainage holes so any water that does get in has a place to go. Use several feeders of different styles to attract more birds.
Location, Location, Location
Feeders need to be five or six feet off the ground and around ten feet from cover such as trees, bushes, and wood piles. Cats and other predators can hide in cover and ambush birds, but birds need someplace to hide if necessary, so some cover if needed. If you are worried about birds hitting your windows, then either place the feeders so close to the window the birds can see it (within three feet) or place the feeders so far away they have no reason to fly near the window (at least thirty feet away.)
Be Consistent
It may take a few weeks for birds to find your first feeder. Once they do, be consistent and fill it regularly. The birds will come to rely on the food, and it can even cause problems if you feed for a while and then abruptly stop.
Cleanliness For Health
Remove wet and moldy seeds promptly. They can make the birds sick. Wash the bird feeders in a solution of ten percent bleach and ninety percent water to kill diseases and remove droppings. Rinse with fresh water and dry before filling the feeders with seeds.
Provide a Source of Water
Birds need water even in the winter. If you can provide a source of water with a fountain heater in it, the birds will be able to drink even in the cold. Fountain heaters float on the surface of the water and have a heating element down below that keeps the water from freezing. You can get them at feed stores or plant nurseries.
Plant Things with Winter Berries or Seeds
Plant shrubs and trees that have berries or seeds that last all winter. Not only will the berries bring color to your landscape, these natural sources of food will also draw birds to your yard, too.
Sign Up Now
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping is keeping busy, even in the winter. We are signing people up for our garden care program now. We are also doing design work with people so we can start installing landscapes when it warms up. Call the office at (816) 825-2524 or schedule a consult.
Over the years, Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping has heard a lot of myths about caring for your lawn and garden. Here are our top myths and what plants really need to survive the winter and early spring.
Myth: Plants don’t need water in winter.
While plants are dormant in the winter, that doesn’t mean they don’t need water. Water allows plants to regulate their temperature as well as transport nutrients. Dormancy slows down a plant’s metabolism, but they can’t go without a drink all winter any more than we can. For more information, check out our article on winter watering.
Myth: Plants don’t need food in the winter.
By the same token, being dormant means you do not fertilize in the winter. However, a fall fertilization provides your plants with food through the winter and into early spring. Without that food, plants have a hard time coming out of dormancy and greening up in the spring. We fertilize in the fall for our garden care clients when we clean out and refresh their landscape beds.
Myth: Winter sun is not harmful to plants.
Sunscald can happen in the winter to young trees or older trees with thin bark. Most of these do not have leaves in the winter to protect the bark. Wrap young trees with tree wrap from the bottom of the trunk to the first branches to protect them from the sun.
Myth: Pruning should wait until spring.
Pruning to remove growth should be done in late winter or early spring. However, pruning to remove dead or diseased branches should be done when they are found. Avoid pruning away freeze damage until spring because another freeze can cause more damage to the newly pruned branch.
Myth: Mulching is only for summer.
We recommend a three-inch layer of mulch in the spring, with another inch put down in the fall. The mulch protects plant roots from temperature fluctuations and helps prevent the soil from heaving or drying out.
Myth: Plants don’t need protection from winter winds.
Winter winds can whip across evergreen needles and dry them out, leading to winter burn. Treating evergreens with Wilt-Pruf in the fall can protect them from losing the moisture they need to avoid winter burn.
In addition, young plants can be damaged by harsh winds. Windbreaks that allow the sun in but not the wind can protect them from having branches broken off.
Myth: All pests are dormant in winter.
Pests frequently overwinter in dead plants or under the bark of trees. Cleaning landscape beds of plant debris can destroy these pests, so they do not attack your plants in the spring. Other debris, such as dead branches, cardboard, or lumber, can also shield pests, so keep your landscape neat.
Sign up For Garden Care Program
Now is a good time to sign up for Royal Creation Architectural Landscaping’s Garden Care Program. We will come out in the spring, clean the beds, and cut back perennials and prune out dead wood. The blue crew will also fertilize, apply pre-emergent, and apply a layer of dark mulch to make your property pop and help get the plants started off right for the growing season. If you are interested in signing up, please call our office at 816-825-2524 or schedule a consultation.
Trees and shrubs are valuable members of your outdoor living space. Protect your investment by winterizing trees and shrubs to avoid winter damage.
Mulching
Mulch is always helpful, but it is especially helpful in the winter. A three-inch-deep layer of mulch helps keep the soil moist and helps stabilize the soil temperature. Don’t let the mulch touch the bark of the tree or it will cause rot issues. Leave a three-inch margin around the trunk of the tree and spread the mulch over the area under the tree’s drip line.
Watering
Trees and shrubs need water even in winter. Water them well before the first freeze and once every month or so during the winter. Proper winter watering helps trees resist winter damage.
Windbreaks
If you have trees and shrubs that are a little more fragile, consider installing a winter windbreak around them. A snow fence or burlap windbreak can reduce drying out and other winter wind-related injuries.
Anti-Desiccant Sprays
Evergreen trees continue to lose water through their needles even in the winter. They can be injured by losing too much moisture. When cold wind blows strongly, it can create a freeze-dry effect. One solution is to spray them with Wilt-Pruf, an anti-desiccant spray we use on our trees. You can read more about preventing evergreen winter burn in this article.
Wrapping
Young trees can get sunscald even in the winter. To protect their thin bark, wrap the trunk with tree wrap. The white wrap is available from nurseries and big box stores and it helps reflect the harsh light and protect the tree.
Snow Removal
Heavy loads of snow can break the branches of your trees and shrubs. After a storm, use a broom to gently shake the branches and knock the snow off of them. Be gentle, or you can break the branches. In light snows, a blower will work well for this too.
Pruning
In the fall before the first storms, prune any diseased or broken branches. This will help prevent them from falling on your house or yard. It will also help prevent the branches from causing further injury to the tree when they tear away. Not to mention your shrubs will look way better with all the dead wood gone.
Rodent Protection
In the winter, food is scarce. Rodents, including porcupines, will chew the bark for food. You can prevent this by wrapping the trunk and branches in hardware cloth. The rodent’s teeth can’t penetrate the hardware cloth to reach the bark. Rodents also hate steel wool. It hurts their teeth and prevents them from chewing.
Avoid Deicing Salts
Be careful when using deicing salts. Don’t use them where the runoff when the ice melts will carry them around your trees and shrubs. The salt will poison the trees. If you see a rim of salt on the soil, flush it away with lots of water to protect your trees and lawn. Salt dries out the plant’s root zone, and lots of water will help dilute the effects.
