It’s easy to let your yard lose its luster. It doesn’t take long for leaves and twigs to pile up, shrubs to regrow their shoots unevenly, sharply defined lines to become a little blurry, once brilliant grass to start looking dull, and your overall color palette looking a little washed out. Luckily, there are five simple tips that will have you on your way to making big progress in your landscape this Spring.
Clean up leaves and debris. Even if you cleaned up well in the fall, winter can still take a toll on your landscape. This winter was especially harsh in temperatures and wind. Trees continue to lose leaves throughout the season, branches snap, and the neighbors who have not kept up with their yards contribute leaves and other blown debris from their properties. If you had a choice between painting on a clean, blank canvas or one with black marks already on it, which one would you pick? That idea is what renders this an ideal first step for any yard in need of improvement. Once your yard is clean and free of dead leaves, then you’ll be better able to envision the next four steps.
Trim your shrubbery. As you’ve surely noticed, shrubbery naturally grows different shoots at various speeds which produces shoots of different lengths. While beautiful in nature, shrubs used as part of a landscaping arrangement are typically made to have uniform length all around, which can help to achieve a clean look that enhances the sense of order in your design. Some varieties of shrubbery are naturally more consistent in their growth than others, so researching the different varieties can be to your benefit if you don’t want to be trimming frequently.
Create crisply defined lines between beds and turf. Smooth, flowing lines facilitate relaxation and ease, probably because they look so much better. Applying mulch once the edge is strongly defined will create an impressive and pleasant sight. Dark mulch creates a more subtle and relaxed effect, which I always recommend over light mulch.
Now an important note. While I suggest crisply defined lines, I don’t mean they should be straight. When you are creating your shrub beds, keep this thought in mind. Your property should look as though the home was built within the shrubbery, not the other way around. Don’t square things off and have equal numbers and sizes of shrubs on either side of your front door. Make the beds free-form.
Fertilize generously. Simply by applying the proper amount of fertilizer, you could make you neighbors jealous with your vibrant green turf. Home improvement and hardware stores typically have basic plans for homeowners, otherwise there are certainly smaller-scale solutions. If you need exceptional results and you’re not sure exactly where to begin, you could consult an expert on the best course of action for your property.
Use color (wisely). Color can be the most powerful tool in your garden, make sure to utilize it. The blooms available to you will vary by season and the amount of sunlight available to the area, but there are outstanding choices no matter how your property is situated. The possible color combinations are many and varied, and many homeowners don’t think to match flowers with shutters, doors, interior curtains that can be seen from outside, and even the color of the siding or roof. If you don’t want to attract bees with sweet-smelling flowers, you can opt for a decorative plant like coleus, which comes in an incredible number of color combinations that span from burgundy and magenta all the way to lime green and yellow.
Wherever your landscaping is falling short, simple solutions are not far from your reach. Start by cleaning up, then continue by manicuring any shrubs that need it, redefining lines between turf and bed, fertilizing liberally, and, finally, adding thoughtful use of color through flowers and/or decorative plants. Follow these tips, and you’ll be sure to impress your neighbors come summer.
If you need any tips or help, please just give me a call. You can reach me through my website at http://www.NormaSellsNJHomes.com