There’s nothing quite like the arrival of spring in Calgary. The winter can seem to last forever, but as the snow pack finally starts to melt and the temperatures start to rise, there’s a palpable sense of positivity and hope across the city. For many homeowners, spring is also the time when it’s time to put into practice all the projects and plans that have been hatched during the cold and snowy months. It’s tempting to go on an all out blitz as soon as the snow fades away, but you’ll want to map out steps for your spring cleanup process to make sure you’re not repeating your workload.
Start With The Landscaping Basics
Like with all gardening projects, your Calgary spring clean up needs to start with giving yourself a clean palette to work from, so these are your first steps towards a beautiful spring yard:
- Clear the debris – the winter snow storms covers up a whole range of debris in your yard, and you won’t be able to fully clear it up until the last of the snow has melted. This work can be tedious as you’ll want to get all the fallen branches, leaves and pine cones, as well as collecting any hidden dog poop that didn’t get picked up before the first snow fell. If you have a wood chipper, you can turn all the organic waste into instant compost, while if you have a brown compost bin, you can use this debris to make perfect fall compost.
- Trim back growth – trimming back and pruning your shrubs, trees and fruit bushes is a tricky business; whole books have been written about how and when to prune all the different varieties of branched growth. Make sure you’ve done your homework during the winter months about each of the shrubs and bushes in your yard that might need pruning for growth. Pay special attention to any bushes or trees that bear fruit as careful pruning can give you a better yield.
- Tend to the lawn – finally, for most Calgary homeowners, the lawn is the centrepiece of your yard. While there’s a fair amount of work that should have been done to prep your lawn for winter, spring is a great time to tend to your lawn. You’ll want to feed and patch up with seed mixture any bald patches left over from the winter months, and give it a good first cut to allow as much warmth, sunlight and air flow to get to the root systems to help them get going after their frozen hibernation.
Add Color And Fragrance
Once you’ve got the basics cleared up, it’s time to think about how to bring the best parts of spring out. Hopefully, you’ll have planted some bulbs back in the fall for some easy growing, but here are your next steps that will add some extra colour and fragrance to your spring yard:
- Make or purchase planters – planters are stand alone containers for your plants and you can use them to bring some instant colour and definition to your yard. This is especially helpful if you’ve got garden beds that are either full of summer vegetables or perennials that aren’t ready to flower just yet. Making your own planters will give you control over the size, shape and materials that you use, meaning that you can create a bespoke look for your space. Buying ready made planters is often easier and cheaper, but you might have to shop around or have to settle for a shape or colour that isn’t exactly what you want. In either case, make sure that you buy rich, well fertilised soil so that your new plants can get flowering as soon as possible.
- Buy ready made plants – even the most proud gardener has to admit that there’s something joyful about going to the plant store and coming home with a car full of ready made flowers just waiting to be put into fresh soil. Of course, there is great satisfaction from growing your own spring flowers, but if you’re looking for some instant colour and fragrances, or you want to try something out before committing a whole section of your garden to it, ready made plants are the way forward. If you’re feeling environmentally conscious, try to choose flowers that are native to Calgary, and ones that are attractive to a variety of pollinators.
- Add decorations – spring is full of fun celebrations such as Easter, so it’s the perfect time to get creative with your garden decorations. Hiding statues of bunnies and chickens around your yard plays into the spring theme while making your yard feel magical for your kids, while finding a unique bird bath at a local thrift store is a great way to get your feathered friends to spend more time in your spring garden.
Step 7 – Work With The Professionals
All of this work takes time and effort, and it’s easy for the enthusiasm of winter to disappear after a couple of weekends spent in the garden on your spring clean up. This is when it’s time to call Scoop Cut N Shovel to talk about our garden bed maintenance plans and spring clean up options. We offer a range of spring yard prep to fit any budget, ranging from a one time clean up of the debris to a weekly check in to get your yard looking in good shape.
Our garden bed maintenance program will get you time with one of our expert gardeners to plan out your spring garden. They’ll also be able to take on your weeding, shrub and bush trimming, and even flower pot design so you can spend your time just enjoying your yard. You can save money by booking a monthly package, and there’s even more savings to be had by signing up for our year round property maintenance service, which includes summer lawn mowing, fall clean up and a variety of winter snow and ice removal services.