March 10, 2021 The curb appeal of a home is largely influenced by the plant life that surrounds it. The greener and livelier the plant life around a home is, the more valuable it is perceived to be. However, while everyone loves green yards and lush gardens, not many know how to achieve this feat. It goes beyond just throwing water at your plants and hoping that they grow. To help out, we’ve compiled a list of the three main elements that build the curb appeal of a home and how you can execute your lawn preparation so its ready for spring and summer. Lawn The lawn on any home is probably the most notable sign of whether a person has a green thumb or not. For those who have one, lawncare usually comes in the form of trimming the grass every week. However, unless you have a winter lawn, you’re going to need some lawn preparation to help it look its best as spring rolls around. As winter nears its end, make sure to rake your lawn, even if you don’t see any leaves on it. The reason for this is to make sure that there isn’t a layer of thatch on the grass once it starts to grow. Thatch is mostly dead grass that sits on top and in between the grass. If unattended, this can suffocate new grass as it tries to come out during spring. Even after you’ve gotten rid of it in preparation for spring, make sure to rake away the thatch during spring and summer too. Doing this will allow your grass to grow freely and give your lawn the luscious look it deserves. Trees The trees on your lawn probably make the second biggest statement when it comes to curb appeal. What person doesn’t want a nice, big, shady, and healthy tree in their yard? However, during winter, these big, luscious trees often look a little bare. You can do several things during this period to help them reach their full potential once blooming time comes around. The first thing you can do is check the health of the tree as winter begins to wind down. Check for frostbite, dead wood, moldy leaves, damaged limbs, etc. Once you have identified all of the tree’s winter damages, plan to fix them. Prune away at dead and damaged limbs and remove weeds that lie around the base of the tree. Next, make sure there is plenty of soil around the base, and be sure to keep it moist as spring starts to come around. If you are in a drier climate, you can even use mulch to keep some of the moisture in the soil. A pruned and cleaned-up tree with great soil and water is sure to blossom beautifully and make your lawn look amazing. Do this with all of the trees in your yard. Gardens Gardens often serve as the cherry on top of the proverbial sundae made up of green lawns and luscious trees. They add a pop of color and a dash of beauty. Just as we did with the other two base curb appeal elements, a spring gardens’ preparation starts in winter. The first thing to do is to clear the bed of the garden from dead leaves, bugs, dead branches, weeds, etc. This bed needs to be completely free of these things because otherwise, the mold from old leaves may eat away at your new plants and kill them. Leftover living weeds in the bed may end up competing with your new flowers and plants for nutrients and life. A clean garden bed eliminates these liabilities that could pop up later on in spring. Next, prepare the bed for life. Compost and extra soil may be necessary. Once these things are done, set aside an appropriate amount of space for your new plants and flowers. When picking out plants for their spring garden, too many homeowners get excited at the different possibilities of plants for their garden. As a result, they end up buying more than they have space for. This results in them having to either return or forcefully crowd their garden. Neither scenario is favorable. Once the plants are in, be sure to regularly water and check for debris on the garden bed. The Experts at Hand These steps are not complex, and anyone looking to spruce up their lawn can follow them quite simply. However, what isn’t so simple is finding the time to do them. If you already have your hands full, give us a call. We specialize in quality tree and turf care and always strive to attend to our customers in a safe and professional manner.
