Treat your plants to some TLC. Check for dead branches or winter damage and prune them cleanly. Trim perennials or grasses that have been left through winter. Formal hedges benefit from a trim and look clean with manicured, straight lines.\u00a0 This can be done by hand with shears or using powered trimmers. All\u2019s clear now to rake leaves (including the ones left on top of shrubs), debris and clippings.<\/p>\n
Lawns love spring because they get tons of attention again. Rake out dead grass blades and debris from your lawn then use an aeration tool to remove plugs of soil.\u00a0 Once the turf is aerated, then you can re-seed bare patches using a west coast seed blend. We\u2019ve found that Kentucky blue grass blends perform best in our conditions. High rainfall in Vancouver causes soil below lawns to become acidic. Apply lime and a spring fertilizer after all the prep work.<\/p>\n
Spring is the perfect time for pruning deciduous shrubs that reward you later with a vigorous show of flowers or colourful new branches.\u00a0 Shrubs such as Buddleja (butterfly bush), Cornus (dogwood) and Cotinus (purple-leafed smoke bush) get cut right back to where they come from for a grand show in summer.\u00a0 Hydrangeas will greatly benefit from having one third of existing branches cut out. Remember, on remaining branches, to leave the top buds that were formed last year as they are this year\u2019s flowers.<\/p>\n
Next, get the weeds out while they\u2019re babies.\u00a0 The monster weeds of summer are easily avoidable. While working through garden beds, cut a nice neat edge in the lawn for an estate-worthy look. Top up with compost or bark mulch and summer will be a breeze.\u00a0 Adding mulches helps conserve water (join a growing gardening movement) and suppress weeds while adding nutrients to the soil.\u00a0 Now that\u2019s what we like to call a gardening triple threat!<\/p>\n
This year may well be the year of the front yard.\u00a0 Green thumbs are creating gardens out in the open to add to the neighbourhood\u2019s beauty or to use spaces where the sun shines best for growing vegetables.\u00a0 Whatever your style of garden, the plants and your lawn will reward you for your early season efforts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Treat your plants to some TLC. Check for dead branches or winter damage and prune them cleanly. Trim perennials or grasses that have been left through winter. Formal hedges benefit from a trim and look clean with manicured, straight lines.\u00a0 This can be done by hand with shears or using powered trimmers. All\u2019s clear now […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,9,11,12],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n