Spring Yard Cleanup Part One
TO FIND AN OPEN HOUSE IN GLENVIEW IL NORTHBROOK IL OR MORTON GROVE IL
This weekend in Chicagoland promises temperatures in the 40’s and 50’s with rain on Sunday. Even with March being notoriously unpredictable, spring is just around the corner and it is time to beginning planning for spring cleanup. Even though Chicagoland’s winter has been fairly mild, shrubs can be crusty with snow the first of the month. A couple of weeks later, temperatures can warm up enough for flower and leaf buds to begin showing signs of life.
Once the snow has melted, some early spring cleanup tasks are perfect for this time of year. Go ahead and remove burlap from trees and shrubs as the weather begins to warm. Prune away the winter-killed branches to make room for new growth. Cut back spent perennials and pull up old annuals if you didn’t get around to it last fall. Then take an assessment of the grounds. “March is a good time to take stock of your yard and see if it’s time to thin out crowded beds and do some transplanting to fill in bare spots,” says This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook.
Here, a checklist to tackle now to give your green patch a clean start. We will have more for you in next Friday’s Blog.
Trees and Shrubs
- Prune away dead and damaged branches.
Where tree or shrub branches have been damaged by cold, snow, and wind, prune back to live stems; use a handsaw for any larger than ½ inch in diameter. Shaping hedges with hand pruners, rather than electric shears, prevents a thick outer layer of growth that prohibits sunlight and air from reaching the shrub’s center. At right, Roger neatens up a yew by pruning wayward shoots back to an intersecting branch. Prune summer-flowering shrubs, such as Rose of Sharon, before buds swell, but wait to prune spring bloomers, like forsythia, until after they flower.
Trim overgrown evergreens back to a branch whose direction you want to encourage.
TOH Pro Tip: Roger Cook, TOH Landscape Contractor says, “Now’s the time to get some basic spring yard maintenance done. Then, as temperatures warm up, you’ll be in better shape for seeding and planting, and for enjoying the outdoors.”
Perennials and Grasses
- Cut back and divide perennials as needed.
Prune flowering perennials to a height of 4–5 inches and ornamental grasses to 2–3 inches to allow new growth to shoot up. Where soil has thawed, dig up perennials, such as daylilies and hostas, to thin crowded beds; divide them, leaving at least three stems per clump, and transplant them to fill in sparse areas. Cut back winter-damaged rose canes to 1 inch below the blackened area. On climbers, keep younger green canes and remove older woody ones; neaten them up by bending the canes horizontally and tipping the buds downward. Use jute twine or gentle Velcro fasteners to hold the canes in place.
A pair of sharp bypass pruners makes a clean cut on both dead and living foliage.
Getting an early start on spring cleanup can add much value to your property, improve curb appeal, and increase your outdoor enjoyment and usage of green spaces for months.
Thank You and Have a Great Day
Marina Jacobson
Broker, SFRDirect: 847-510-5009
Cell: 847-361-5605
Fax: 847-510-5109
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