A lush, beautiful yard in the summer starts with proper planning in spring. While hiring professionals for lawn and garden care is an option, you can tackle these tasks yourself with the right approach. Before making a trip to the garden center, use the guide below to map out your strategy.
Although aeration, fertilizing, and overseeding are best done in early fall, it is a good idea to thoroughly rake and seed bare spots in your yard. Apply a starter fertilizer to the seeded areas. Keep the new seed moist, but don't drench it.
Pre-emergent herbicide prevents weed seedlings from emerging. In jurisdictions where lawn herbicides are permitted, spring is the ideal time to apply it. Keep in mind that it will also prevent your grass seed from germinating, so do not apply it over any newly seeded sections of your lawn.
Most cool-season grasses, like those common in the Washington, DC area, are typically fertilized in the fall. However, a light application in spring will help your lawn green up nicely. Since most lawns do not need phosphorus, choose a fertilizer with 0 as the middle number — 18-0-4, for example. Be careful not to over-apply, as excess fertilizer will run off into local streams and rivers when it rains.
To tune up your mower, change the oil, spark plugs, and air filter. Inflate the tires and clear away any built-up grass clippings and dirt. Finally, inspect the blades to determine whether they need to be sharpened or adjusted.
Once the grass begins growing in early spring, plan to mow about once a week. Set the mower to its highest setting — approximately three inches — to encourage strong root growth and discourage weeds from taking hold. Leave the clippings on the lawn, as they break down quickly and return valuable nutrients to the soil.
The first step in preparing your garden for spring is to tidy up the beds where plants and flowers will grow. Pull out any sprouting weeds, remove dead perennial foliage, and clear out spent annual plants from the previous season. This is also a good time to loosen the soil with a garden fork to improve drainage and aeration before planting begins.
Prune any dead branches from shrubs or small trees in your garden. Trim liriope (the evergreen ground cover) to about three inches, but no shorter. Pruning guidance can vary widely by plant, but one key rule applies across the board: spring-flowering shrubs — such as azaleas, forsythia, and camellias — should not be heavily pruned in spring, as this will remove next season's flowers.
Apply a granular fertilizer around your trees, shrubs, and perennials, following the package directions carefully. Compost is also an effective alternative. Too little is fine, but too much can harm or even kill your plants. Keep fertilizer off the foliage and make sure it is applied directly to the ground. After applying, water your plants gently to help the nutrients absorb into the soil.
Create a clean edge along your garden beds using a flat shovel or power edger. This improves the overall appearance of your yard and creates a natural "lip" that helps contain the mulch. Rather than tossing the edgings back into the bed, remove them or repurpose them as fill elsewhere in your yard.
Mulch helps retain moisture in the soil, suppress weeds, and enhance the appearance of your garden beds. It also acts as a protective layer, shielding plants from heavy rain and temperature fluctuations. Apply no more than one inch of new mulch, as too much can be harmful to plants.
Resist the temptation to plant annual flowers such as begonias, petunias, and New Guinea impatiens before May, as even a light frost can kill them. Instead, plant cold-tolerant flowers such as pansies and violas in the fall in areas protected from deer, and enjoy their regrowth in spring. As they begin to fade in May, it is the perfect time to transition to your new annuals.
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