Planning for the 2014 Landscaping Season

Spring 2014 is here! This raises a lot of questions regarding landscaping and what you may need to do to keep your lawn and gardens looking clean and healthy. Here are a few things that you should consider doing, or at least seeing if they need to be done.

General Maintenance-
General Maintenance is always important, because it takes care of all the little things that happen over the winter that make your landscaping sloppy. This might include anything from something as simple as spring cleanup to complete lawn renovation. It is important to keep an eye on these things in the spring, and if you need something done, get it done. Here are a few things to consider for general maintenance:

Plants - Are your plants healthy? Do they need to be replaced due to a harsh winter? Is there some sort of design work that you would like to do to keep things tidy?

Lawn - What is the condition of you lawn? Does it look like there may be some serious problems? Is it dying or brown to the point where you think lawn renovation may be necessary? Does the lawn need to be either rolled or leveled because of unevenness? This last one is an especially important question because the soft soil in the spring, will become much harder as the season progresses. The spring is definitely the time to fix any problems with your lawn.

Shrubs and Trees - Are there any shrubs or trees that either need to be removed or you would like removed? Do you have trees that need to be pruned, or shrubs that need to be cut back?

Drainage-
Another important question to ask yourself at the beginning of the season, are there any drainage problems in your lawn? Drainage affects the health of the lawn, trees and shrubs, so it is important to get this issue solved early in the season. Is there flooding, and if so what is the source? What are some ways that you can repair the damage without compromising the aesthetic features of the property?

Hardscape-
Finally, you may want to be thinking about some hardscape projects that you may want to start this year. This may be the year that you are able to get that new patio designed, or fix your sidewalk. These are important things to be considering over the course of the year so you can jump on an opportunity that may arise. Do you have any plans to install a walkway, patio, retaining wall, outdoor kitchen or fireplace? Start designing and planning those out now. If you get a hardscape project done in the spring, you will be able to enjoy your dream project this summer.

So there are a few things to keep in mind concerning landscaping for the 2014 season. Start thinking about these things now, so when you start a project or need something done, you will have an idea of what you want.

Tyler Kaiser
T. J. Landscaping Inc.