Posts Tagged: spring

Get ready for fall

It’s a good time to put in some work to help your landscape stay healthy as it heads into dormancy for the winter. It’s still warm, but autumn begins next week and we look forward to cooler days ahead. A little care now will help make your lawn hardier so that it will return next spring as vibrant as ever.

Here are some steps to consider. Be sure to talk with a landscape professional about which of these steps are important for your landscape:

Adjust the sprinkler timer to water less. Daylight hours are growing shorter, overnight temps are getting cooler and day-time temps will become more moderate. Don’t stop watering altogether but do adjust watering frequency and length. Make changes according to the temperature—not by the date. Keep in mind that if you add any new plants this fall, those will be the exception as they are still becoming established.
Zap weeds. Here’s your last chance this year to take care of weeds. The weeds you eliminate this fall are weeds you won’t see at the start of next season.
Apply a final application of fertilizer. Using the same fertilizer formulation you used earlier this season is fine. But if you need to buy more fertilizer, look for one high in nitrogen and potassium which are good for healthy roots.
Core aerate the lawn before winterizing the sprinkler system. Aeration pulls plugs of soil and sod out of the lawn and these holes open the soil so that roots can take in maximum moisture during the winter.
Get expert help if you have had fungus or other turf disease or insect problems this summer. Have problems properly diagnosed so you know what to do now and possibly into next spring to get things under control for good.

Contact your landscape professional to help you get your landscape ready to be tucked in for winter. If you have an irrigation system, schedule your winterization service now, before schedules are booked up.

Click “DO IT FOR ME” to request a FREE quote.

Source: customer-service@bestyard.com in collaboration with Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado

Time for a color change

Last week we talked about planting now for next spring. If you want some seasonal color now, try a fall-themed container garden. You can make your own decorative creation with traditional containers: a ceramic planter, a window box, or a hanging pot. Or get creative and upcycle things you’ve got in the garage, like an old wheelbarrow, metal bucket or tire. You can even repurpose a football or football helmet into an interesting centerpiece for your outdoor table.

Before you plant

Clean out previously used containers by removing summer-flowering annuals and debris.
If adding a new container to your home, make sure it has proper drainage.
Prepare the soil. Consider adding some compost to help retain moisture.
Add a time-release fertilizer.

Recommendations for adding autumn color

Ornamental cabbage and kale are good choices, as they do well in fall temperatures and provide interesting foliage. They make great combos with blooming plants in containers.
Pansies make it easy to add color. Pansies are available in many colors, so they can fit just about any color scheme you have in mind. Think orange and blue for containers to celebrate the home team in football or a combo in the colors of your local high school or college. You can even find orange and black pansies to complement your Halloween décor.
Bring on the chrysanthemums. Mums are an easy way to add fall color. Several containers in the same or different colors grouped together provide mounds of colorful impact and take little time. Group mums in large baskets or repurpose a bench to give them some height and place them in a row. Galvanized buckets and oval bins are also great for grouping plants as one large mass of color.

Too busy for DIY?

If you don’t have the time to create a custom container garden for your home, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some seasonal color. Consult a landscape professional about container garden services. Or visit your local garden center for pre-made containers you can simply bring home and put into place.

It’s still hot out there, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get a head start on creating containers with warm autumn colors. In Colorado, hot-cider-sipping weather could be just around the corner.

Click “DO IT FOR ME” to request a FREE quote.

Source: customer-service@bestyard.com in collaboration with Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado

Prep for hail

Late spring is hail season in Colorado. It’s good to know what precautions you can take ahead of time and what you can do for plants after hail has dealt its blows.

Minimize damage if you can

Be prepared by placing buckets or old planting pots close to the garden so you can grab them quickly to cover plants when a storm rolls in, or set them in place before you go to bed if you expect a storm overnight.
Put heavy container plants that are beyond the patio or porch roof on wheeled bases so they can easily be moved under cover.
Have copper soap or a similar copper fungicide on hand to spray on plants right after the damage. It keeps fungus from getting into the open wounds. Just like you put antiseptic on a cut finger, you need to apply it ASAP—within minutes or a few hours after the storm for the best effect.

Hail-damaged veggies and annuals

When plants are shredded by hail, do remedial work. You should prune off shredded leaves and broken stems on most plants. Here are some specifics:

Flowering annuals with no remaining foliage will probably not recover and should be replanted. If there is some foliage left on petunias, they may survive. When they are damaged early in the season, there is time for them to recover so it’s worth trying to nurse them back to health.
Early vegetable root crops such as carrots left without foliage won’t recover. They need green leaves to produce energy to grow.
Leafy vegetables may recover, but if you see no signs of new growth after a week or so, replant.

How to trim back damaged plants

Keep as many of the remaining leaves as possible. If half or more of the leaf is intact, keep it at least a little while so it can create energy for the plant.
Remove branches, leaves and stems that are broken or badly shredded.
If the top of a plant is shredded—for example, a tomato plant—clip the plant down to where there are healthy leaves.
Spray the cuts or broken places as soon as possible with a copper product. Copper, commonly found in fungicides, will help keep diseases from entering the plants. Caution: read the label before applying any product on veggies.
Wait to fertilize for a week or so when the plant shows signs of new growth. Use a liquid or granular fertilizer.
Minimize stress on the plants by watering consistently and evenly without over- or under-watering.

Click “DO IT FOR ME” to request a FREE quote.

Source: customer-service@bestyard.com in collaboration with Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado

Need spring color right now

After recent snows gave them a dose of moisture, and with temperatures heating up along the Front Range, early spring bulbs are popping up in landscapes and giving us a hint of the color to come. Crocuses, hyacinths, even some daffodils, and tulips can be spotted in gardens and flower beds.

The warm days might inspire you to add some color to your landscape. However, keep in mind that April in Colorado could still bring us heavy snowfall or even a freeze. Wait at least six weeks to plant most annuals.

If you must plant flowers soon, consider cool-hardy pansies.

When purchasing, check with garden center staff that the flowers are ready to plant. Pansies should be hardened off before putting them in the ground. If they have been kept outdoors at the garden center, they are probably hardened off and ready to plant.
Pansies that have not yet been hardened off need some protected outside time to get used to the outdoors. They need to adjust to night-time temps more than they need sunshine. Keep them outside on the patio in a protected area for about five nights before planting. If there is a frost or hard freeze, bring them indoors.

Once planted, pansies are frost hardy but will be seriously damaged by a hard freeze. If temps fall below 28 degrees, protect the plants from freeze damage like you would annuals in the early fall. Cover them with household items like sheets, blankets or towels – not plastic.

Click “DO IT FOR ME” to request a FREE quote.

Source: customer-service@bestyard.com in collaboration with Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado

Get ready for the growing season

Itching to get out and work in the yard? Planting time really is just around the corner. While you wait until the threat of freeze is over, there are plenty of ways to prepare for the growing season.

To be effective and efficient in the yard, you need the right tools and tools in good condition. Take stock of the shovels, rakes, weeding tools and pruners that are stashed in the garage or shed.

Do DIY repairs and schedule services for the tasks you won’t do yourself:

On metal surfaces of shovels and other tools, remove rust with steel wool and apply WD-40.
Replace broken handles on shovels and rakes.
Sharpen blades on pruners and also the lawnmower.
Schedule the spring tune-up for the lawnmower. You’ll want it to be ready to roll and not waiting in line when it’s time for the first mow of the season.
Schedule spring lawn aeration and sprinkler system activation now, as schedules fill up quickly.

Finally, resist the urge to plant too early. Colorado could still see a freeze in the next six weeks, so be patient in order to give your new plants the best chance at thriving in your landscape.

Click “DO IT FOR ME” to request a FREE quote.

Source: customer-service@bestyard.com in collaboration with Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado

Plan now for spring

Are you thinking to schedule professional landscape services? Here are some tips for you.

After the recent deep freeze, it’s hard to believe that spring is just a month away. While you’re staying warm indoors, it’s a good time to plan your landscape for warmer months. Demand is high and professionals are already booking up, so get on their calendars now.

Schedule services that you will not do yourself. These include spring activation of the sprinkler system, getting the lawnmower in the shop for maintenance, and blade sharpening and aeration of the lawn.
Consider pruning. Consult a professional about maintenance on dormant trees that could prepare them to better withstand spring weather events. [NOTE: Do NOT prune any spring-flowering trees, shrubs or perennials. Fruit trees, crabapple trees, and lilac are all in this do-not-touch category.
If you are planning to renovate or do upgrades in your yard, schedule a time to meet with a designer asap so that the work can be scheduled and underway as soon as possible.
Review last year’s garden plan and revise this year’s plan accordingly. Rotate crops such as corn that need to be moved to new locations and make sure plants that love one another such as basil and tomatoes will be planted next to one another.
Get online and order seeds in order to have the best selection available.

Plan ahead so you can have the landscape of your dreams. Be patient—warmer days will be here before you know it!

Click “DO IT FOR ME” to request a FREE quote.

Source: customer-service@bestyard.com in collaboration with Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Dec 12, 2022

You all are the best

- Susan

Nov 11, 2022

They are doing a good job getting everything under control.

- Janet

Nov 8, 2022

Great service with great staff.

- Ken

Nov 14, 2022

All good

BestYard have done our fall leaf clean up for a few years now and we really appreciate this service!! We have a dozen trees in our small backyard so over the years we have more and more leaves as we get older. BestYard are good at communication and getting the job done!

- Margeret

Nov 2, 2022

It was quick and our lawn looks great!

- Paul

Wonderful job, team. The fall yard cleanup was perfect and the house looks great again!

- Trent

Oct 27, 2022

Excellent service!

- Tonyetta

Oct 26, 2022

Thanks Weed Man for aerating our lawn! The guys were fast, friendly, respectful of directions and most of all, did a great job of taking care of readying our lawn for winter and into the spring. Thanks so much for texting the day before to remind us of appointment!

- Ryan and Roxanne

Oct 25, 2022

Excellent customer service!!

- Lisa

Posts Tagged: spring

Get ready for fall

Time for a color change

Prep for hail

Need spring color right now

Get ready for the growing season

Plan now for spring

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Posts Tagged: spring

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