It's spring and that means it's time to get your garden ready and we have the tools and tips to get you going! Follow the 10 tips outlined below for a welcoming garden that's filled with color and fragrance -- and song.
Survey the YardMake note of tree limbs that should be removed or cabled, especially those that overhang structures. Hire an arborist to maintain large trees.Cut down last year's perennial foliage, and toss it into the compost pile. Rake mulch from beds planted with bulbs before foliage appears, and refresh mulch in other planting areas after soil warms. Check fences, steps, and pathways for disrepair caused by freezing and thawing.
Order Tools and PlantsTune up tools so everything is ready when things start growing. Make note of what is missing, and order tools for the new growing season. Choose new plants for the garden. Order perennials, trees, and shrubs for spring planting.
Get Ready to Mow
Send the mower and leaf blower for servicing, or if you have the right tools, sharpen the mower blades yourself. Refill your mower with oil, install fresh spark plugs, and lubricate moving parts if necessary. Clear the lawn of winter debris, and look for areas that need reseeding before mowing.
Prune Trees and ShrubsRemove dead, damaged, and diseased branches from woody plants. Thin and trim summer-blooming shrubs such as butterfly bush, hydrangea, and most roses, except for old-fashioned once bloomers. Prune cold-damaged wood after plants resume spring growth. Prune spring-blooming shrubs and trees after flowering.
Take a Soil TestCheck soil pH with a home soil- test kit, taking several samples from different planting areas for an accurate reading. Enrich soil as necessary: Add dolomitic lime to raise the pH or elemental sulfur to lower the pH.
Prepare New BedsClear the planting area as soon as soil can be worked, removing sod or weeds and debris. Spread a 4-inch layer of compost or well-rotted manure and any amendments over soil, and cultivate it to a depth of 10 to 12 inches with a spading fork.
PlantPlant bare-root trees, shrubs, and perennials such as hostas and daylilies by early spring. Choose a cool, cloudy day if possible. Transplant container-grown plants anytime during the growing season except midsummer; be sure to water them thoroughly. Sow seeds of cool-season flowers like sweet peas, poppies, and calendula, and vegetables such as lettuce, parsley, and spinach.
FertilizeApply balanced fertilizer (6-6-6 or 8-8-8), fish emulsion, or other soil amendments recommended by soil-test results around trees and shrubs when new growth appears. Spread high-acid fertilizer and pine-needle mulch around acid-loving shrubs like azaleas and camellias. Begin fertilizing perennials when active growth resumes.
Start a Compost PileStart a compost pile, or use a compost bin, if you don't have one already. Begin by collecting plant debris and leaves raked up from the garden. Chop these up first to speed decomposition. Add equal amounts "brown" (carbon-rich) materials like dried leaves and straw and "green" (nitrogen-rich) materials like grass clippings and weeds in even layers with water and a compost bioactivator. Turn regularly. Continue adding to the pile throughout the season for rich, homemade compost next spring.
Clean Bird Feeders and BathsDisinfect the feeders by scrubbing with weak bleach solution (1/4 cup bleach: 2 gallons warm water). Rinse and dry the feeders thoroughly before refilling them.Scrub birdbaths with bleach solution, then rinse them thoroughly and refill, changing water weekly. Clean birdbaths and feeders regularly throughout the season.
Resource: Martha Stewart Living
Summer is here, and it's time to get busy with home improvement projects during the warmest season of the year. June is a great month to organize your garage, sharpen up your home safety skills, celebrate Father's Day with a new work space for Dad, and entertain guests in comfort with your newly installed low voltage lighting.
Here are some tips to get your home in tip top shape for the season!
Weekend #1: Safety First!
June is National Safety Month, brought to you by our friends at the National Safety Council. The NSC's main goal is to encourage individuals to learn about safety education for the home and workplace. Their provided safety advice is designed to greatly reduce the risk of unintentional injury and death during everyday activities.
The National Safety Council website is filled with useful safety advice about making your home less hazardous by correcting situations that might cause falls, improving indoor air quality, poisoning prevention, and fire prevention. Some of the tips include:
- keeping outdoor walkways in good condition
- removing clutter from walkways
- maintaining well lit steps and pathway inside and out of the home
- using proper step ladders
- testing smoke detectors
- having fire extinguishers in multiple places inside your home
- installing CO detectors
- storing hazardous materials out of reach of small children
Most of the information may seem like common sense, but can easily be forgotten as the business of life takes over. Take this first weekend to review the NSC's safety materials and create a true safe haven in your home for your family and friends.
Weekend #2: Home and Garage Organization!
June is a great month to organize your home's garage. As humans, we love to acquire stuff, which means we easily run out of space. Our natural instinct is to cram items we use everyday into the garage. But kids play things, seasonal items, tools, sporting equipment, and the things we just can't bring ourselves to toss should not go into the garage. There is absolutely no reason why all of those items can happily coexist in the garage in an organized and tidy manner with a workshop, the car, or gardening table.
First, take everything out of the garage and sort through it. Create a giveaway pile for donations, a pile for trash, and a pile for the things you are going to hold onto. Then go through the items you are keeping and divide them into everyday common items, seasonal décor, sporting equipment, tools, garden, etc. Once you see what you need to put back into the garage, you can then go and buy or build proper storage units and containers.
Keep items organized and off the floor with wall and ceiling mounted hangers. Put items you use more frequently toward the front, making sure kids items are where they can easily reach them. Hazardous items should be placed where children can't get their hands on them. Be sure to properly anchor storage shelves and cabinets, as the items you organize and store on the shelves in the garage tend to be heavy. With all that new tidy organized space in your garage, you might even find you have room to create a Father's Day gift; a new work shop for Dad.
Weekend #3 : Celebrate Father's Day and remember Dad this weekend with a surprise home workshop.
Happy Father's Day everyone! Dads do so much for the family, so take this weekend to do something really special for the dad in your life. Create a workshop in your newly organized garage and stock it with his favorite tools. Organize all of the small items, such as nails, screws, washers, wood plugs, etc. into compartmentalized storage bins in the work space, and label each drawer with the contents. Dad will easily find whatever he needs.
Pegboards are a great way for Dad to organize hand tools and keep them off the work table. Paint the shape of the tool onto the pegboard so it will always go back to the same place. If you are in the market to buy tools for your dad this Father's Day, buy him tools in the same brand as his current tools so they can operate off the same battery and keep clutter in the workshop to a minimum. Once Dad gets over the shock and surprise of his brand new work shop, treat him to a tasty barbecue with all his grilled favorites. Whatever you and Dad choose to do this Father's Day, be sure to enjoy your time together and have fun!
Weekend #4: Enjoy your outdoor retreat day or night with the perfect lightscaping for your yard and garden.
Now that summer has officially arrived, lazy days of hanging out around your yard and deck entertaining friends and family will get into full swing, no doubt continuing into the twilight hours. Take full advantage of what your outdoor escape has to offer by adding some lighting. Low voltage lighting has made it easy to create beautiful areas of light on your garden or to highlight architectural details of your home.
Low voltage lighting fixtures are available in many styles, so you can find ones that suit your tastes. Low voltage is a great improvement for outdoor lighting because it casts an even glow, which is great for highlighting flower beds or walkways. You can attach a fixture in a tree to cast a moonlit glow, or use low voltage lights to highlight your favorite tree or arbor. Many low voltage items are sold as kits at your local home center, and are a perfect weekend do-it your self project. Not only does low voltage lighting help to enhance your outdoor escape, it adds value to your home and helps keep everyone safe on those newly lit pathways.
Resource: The Money Pit
