So Fresh and So Clean

Everyone loves the Spring as a season of renewal. We think of it as the time for new life. Baby animals are born, flowers bloom, and we plant new ones. But Spring is also the season of something a little more divisive, and we’re not talking about allergies. Nope, the controversial topic of the day today is Spring cleaning, or more accurately, when it comes to your landscaping, Spring cleanup. Yard cleanup follows the same line of reasoning as Spring cleaning: to enjoy the wonderful newness coming, you first must remove the grime that was left behind. Here’s how we clean up in Courtice. So Fresh, So Clean Yard cleanup is a vital part of your landscaping routine all year. Your plants grow and die in a constant cycle. As such, they lose blossoms, petals, leaves, and twigs, making your yard look shabby. But cleanup is about more than appearances. It’s also essential to the health of your yard. Dead plants can attract pests and spread disease to those still living. And living plants with dead or sick parts waste energy trying to make them grow. It’s Been a Long Cold Lonely Winter As much as cleanup matters all year, there are two seasons where we need to put in some extra effort because of the significant changes your yard goes through. Those are Autumn and Spring. We all know about fall foliage! The vibrant colors are gorgeous…until they’re not. That’s when we do leaf collection. But Spring is an equally important time for cleanup because of everything Winter did to your yard! What changes did Winter make? Let’s discuss. All the Leaves Are Brown… Sadly, it’s likely that not all your plants made it through the Winter. But, of course, your annuals weren’t expected to, and if the rest are okay, then you’re off to a good start! Part of Spring cleanup is removing everything that died. Any flowers in your flower beds that are no longer thriving but dry corpses need removal to make room for what’s new. Also Pruning Of course, it’s not only dead plants that must be removed. The dead parts of live plants need to be taken out too. As we alluded to in a previous section, pruning away branches that are no longer healthy because of winter exposure is another essential element of Spring cleanup. Blowin’ in the Wind Winter brought storms as well as cold. The wind does enough during nicer weather to create a big mess of your landscape by blowing branches and leaves off of trees. But when you add cold to it, branches get more brittle! Add to that the fact that you probably haven’t spent as much time outside picking things up and that heavy ice and snow may have caused additional breakages, and you have a recipe for a whole lot of plant debris on your lawn! Plant debris isn’t just messy. It can harm your plants. When your grass has excessive plant matter on top of it, it can’t get all the things it needs to thrive. Excess leaves and other plant parts get in the way of water and sunlight. And when it forms thatch, it can also choke out grass and gum up lawnmowers. Cover Me You may also find that your garden beds are missing something else: mulch. Mulch acts as a weed barrier, insulator, and water retention tool. So if you found that yours washed away or broke down over the Winter, now is the time to add a new layer! Walk Hard While not considered a proper element of yard cleanup, every Spring, we also take the time to check the state of your lawn and soil. Generally speaking, it has gotten more compact from people walking on it during the summer and the snow and ice freezing it in the Winter. But, unfortunately, none of that is suitable for your grass! Your grass can’t grow in packed soil. That’s why we aerate and overseed in the Spring. Aeration adds space and air to the ground while overseeding, replacing the grass that died. Spring into Spring Cleanup Action! Spring is a lovely time for landscaping, and we understand why you’d be tempted to fast forward to the fun part of planting your gardens! But beautiful landscaping takes prep, and this time of year, that prep is Spring cleanup. Spring cleanup takes a lot of labor and attention to detail, so we recommend hiring the pros at Mr. Trim to handle it for you. We’ve had you covered since 1979.