March Madness is here!

Don’t let your lawn or landscaping bounce you in the first round. Spring is here and the landscapes are ready to be cleaned up from the long winter season. Below are a few suggestions on what to do to get the landscape looking beautiful.

Clean Up
The winter can be harsh. Leaves are still in the beds. Trash and debris are blowing around. Salt and gravel from the road are in the beds, and limbs from the trees are everywhere. Before you get to the fun part of mulching and pruning, cleaning the beds is a must. Remember to wear gloves at this point. Who knows what sharp items have collected over the winter at the bottom of the landscapes. I have found broken bottles and sharp metal in the midst of the leaves. If the leaves are not full of trash, they can be put into the compost pile to add to the beds/veggie garden later on this year. If your garden is next to the street or even a sidewalk, most likely you will find salt and gravel in the beds. Before you mulch, it is a good idea to remove as much of it as possible. Many forms of ice melt can hurt plants.

Forsythia in bloom

Pruning
Proper pruning methods are very important. Knowing what to prune, along with how and when is essential. Each plant is different and has special needs. A general rule of thumb is, perennials need to be pruned back to the ground either in the spring or fall to allow for new growth. I personally prefer to leave any perennials or grasses up over the winter for winter texture if the plant will provide it. Examples of such are ornamental grasses, Sedum, Liatris and Echinacea. These, along with many other plants, provide texture and color when the landscape is dormant. Before pruning any shrubs or perennials back, contact a local expert. Pruning a plant at the wrong time can prevent the flower production for that year.

Dividing Perennials
Though not all perennials need to be divided in spring time, many perennials thrive better if they are divided every 2-3 years. This is the process where the plant, with the whole root system, is lifted out of the ground and the root system is literally divided into a number of sections, depending on the variety and size of plant. If this is not done, many perennials will over time, grow wider and the root systems will get denser. This will cause it to either rot, or not produce new growth as well.

Fertilizer & Pre-emergence
Most properties, especially in new developments, are lacking in nutrients for proper plant growth. Spring is an excellent time to apply a slow release fertilizer along with pre-emergence. Pre-emergence prevents weeds from growing from seed by forming an invisible “barrier” in the soil/mulch. If any seed, including grass seed, lands in an area of the landscape, where pre-emergence was applied, the seed will die.

Mulching
Mulching is the process of applying some form of organic matter on top of the soil to help cool the roots and prevent erosion. Not only does mulch look uniform, it adds aesthetic value to the landscape, helps keep the weeds from growing, and allows a proper amount of moisture retention. A depth of 2-3″ is ideal, never exceeding 4″ thick. Even though it is quite popular, it is not recommended to pile the mulch up on tree trunks. Excessive mulch (like a volcano shape) against the bark can cause rot of the trunk, which leads to disease and insect problems.

This was a guest post by Joel Kayser of Well Rooted Gardens. Joel is a Nebraska Certified Nurseryman and Nebraska Certified Arborist.