Five Common Seasonal Cleanup Practices to Enhance Your Yard This Summer

Even though gardening is a lot of work, many people find it a soothing hobby. Gardening is a work in progress and requires seasonal cleanup every few months. If you live in Ann Arbor MI, you are probably finishing your spring cleanup and getting ready for summer. If you need cleaning and designing help, a professional landscaping company can have your garden in shape for the season. These are some common areas that require a gardeners attention for summer blooms:

1. Prune Trees and Shrubs
Winter weather can damage tender branches of shrubs and trees, so they need attention during seasonal cleanup. To keep them healthy, prune away dead or damaged branches back to the living stems. Larger branches may require a handsaw. Use hand pruners to shape hedges neatly. Shrubs that flower in the summer should be pruned before their buds swell. After spring-blooming shrubs have dropped their blooms, then they should have a summer pruning.

2. Divide and Cut Back Perennials
In order to allow for new growth, prune blooming perennials to a height of 5 inches and ornamental grasses down to 3 inches. Some perennials (such as lilies and irises) should be dug up and thinned so the flower bed in not overcrowded. Each clump should have at least three stems for new growth. Other clumps can be planted in bare areas or given to gardening friends. Roses should have damaged canes cut down to an inch below the dead area. Climbing roses should be tidied up and woody growth pruned away, leaving the green canes. Support new canes with twine as needed.

3. Clean Up Flower Beds
Any remaining dead leaves, foliage, or dead annuals can be raked or pulled up and put in the compost bin for organic matter. Avoid putting dead weeds in with compost, because they can go to seed and cause big weed problems when the compost is used. Apply a fresh layer of mulch as needed around flowers, trees, and shrubs. This is the ideal time to add proper fertilizer to the lawn and garden. It is also suggested to check irrigation lines to see if they need any repairs.

4. Build Up New Compost
All of the grass trimmings and other organic matter can be put into the compost bin to make new compost. Leaves and branches should be ground up so they will decompose quicker. The compost pile needs to be kept moist and turned every couple of weeks with a pitchfork. It will turn into a rich, organic compost that gardeners treasure like gold.

5. Repair the Lawn
Each year, it is recommended that soil testing should be done to find the pH balance. Soil amendments can be added to correct an imbalance. A professional landscaper in Ann Arbor MI can do the testing. If there are bald spots in the lawn, the dirt can be worked up with a dirt rake and compost added. Then, new grass seed can be planted that will fill in spots during the summer. If any dead turf is in the yard, it can be dug up, flipped, and used as compost for the new seed.

Even though you work every season in your garden and lawn, you are rewarded with beautiful flowers and a bountiful harvest. Some gardeners find it useful to keep a seasonal calendar of chores that need to be done. With a little effort, you can have a wonderful garden season this summer!