Your Spring Landscape Maintenance Guide Checklist

Just as your yard has four distinct seasons of growth and rest, it has four distinct seasons of landscape maintenance. What you have to do depends on the time of year and the type of tree or plant. Here’s your spring landscape checklist for your yard:  

Spring Lawn Care
▪Use a spring fertilizer for lawns once snow has melted.
▪Repair dead patches.
▪If crabgrass is problematic, treat with a preemergent herbicide around the time forsythia blooms in your area.
▪Revive weak lawns by dethatching and aerating.

Front Entrance Landscape, Glencoe, Illinois Schmechtig Landscapes

Spring Trees, Shrubs, and Groundcover Maintenance
▪Remove winter trunk protection and old mulch, and remulch at the base of trees and shrubs.
▪Prune and clean up dead, broken, or diseased branches.
▪Prune summer-flowering shrubs.
▪Rake, fertilize, and groom groundcovers.
▪After dry winters, thoroughly water new plants.
▪Remove any dead shrubs or groundcovers.

Trees, Shrubs, and Groundcover Landscape Design and Maintenance, Schmechtig Landscape, Wilmette, Illinois

Spring Garden Maintenance
▪Amend soil with organic matter.
▪Plant cool-season flowers and vegetables.
▪Remove old mulch and refresh.
▪Prune and plant roses.
▪Divide overcrowded perennials.
▪Plant fruit trees and berry bushes; fertilize several weeks before bloom with a fruit-tree plant food.
▪Prune vines growing over arbors and trellises.
▪Cut back spring bulb foliage as it yellows.

Perennials Winnetka, Illinois Schmechtig Landscapes

Spring Hardscape Maintenance
▪Clean wooden decks; protect with sealant or stain as needed.
▪Move furniture out of storage; clean and repaint as needed.
▪Repair cracks in paved areas.
▪Lubricate latches and hinges.
▪Refresh gravel or mulch as needed.
▪Replace wiring or bulbs on outdoor fixtures.
▪Tune and sharpen lawn mower and pruning tools.

Patio with Pergola Winnetka, Illinois Landscape Maintenance and Design Schmechtig Landscapes

Checklist Article Courtesy of Better Homes and Garden Website: www.bhg.com