Avoid Common Landscaping Mistakes this Season

Lawn care can be a hassle. Hours of toiling in the hot sun sometimes feels not quite worth the exertion.

The temptation to put in as little work as possible, though, can lead to bigger problems down the road. To prevent your hard work from turning into wasted effort, follow these Okotoks real estate lawn care tips and avoid feeling like a rookie this planting season.

  • Be deliberate when buying plants. Many people go to the home improvement store and buy assortments of plants on a whim. Having a colorful bevy of blooms in your shopping cart doesn’t always translate to a picturesque lawn.

Instead, group plants by similar leaf color and texture to ensure a uniform look. Also, don’t go overboard with variety. Stick to three to five different plants and coordinate them in such a way that they look orderly without being too structured.

  • Use the right amount of mulch. City green-spaces and office parks have a bad habit of mounding mulch next to young trees because it looks attractive. This practice can backfire, however.

The heat from the mulch cones attracts fungi, bacteria, insects and even rodents. In addition, covering the base of the trunk can cut off vital oxygen to the inner bark. Use only 5 to 8 centimeters of mulch around the base of a tree, and create an impression next to the point where the trunk meets the ground.

Under mulching can be just as problematic as over-mulching. Shrubs and flowering plants benefit from the even distribution of moisture and nutrients that a layer of mulch offers. Mulch can also stymie the growth of weeds and undesirable flora into your flowerbeds. Give your plants fresh mulch twice a season, spreading it evenly as a 3-5 cm layer.

  • Let the sunshine in. Species labeled “partial sun” and “partial shade” still need a solid six or more hours of exposure in order to thrive. Otherwise, they tend to grow slowly and look weak. Clear out all sun-hogging tree branches and bushes, such as privet, to ensure that your plants get the vital exposure they need.
  • Don’t put off mowing the lawn. Tall grass can create the same problems as mentioned above and invite weeds and saplings to take over. Also, dense mats of lawn clippings can choke out the soil and create patches that encourage growth of hardier species like monkey grass.

Mow the lawn regularly to avoid this, and leave the clippings where they fall instead of removing them with a bag mower or rake. The decomposing clippings will bring nitrogen and nutrients right back into the soil, creating a thick, healthy lawn.

A beautiful yard can help close a sale or just maintain a higher level of enjoyment for your Okotoks real estate property. To find out which landscapes are the most appealing to home buyers or get recommendations on the best available lawn-care professional services, contact us and we’ll make sure that your neighbors will be green with envy.

Photo Credit

Categories

Homeowners