Summer is just around the corner. Is your landscape ready for summer fun? Even if the COVID-19 situation has pulled your attention elsewhere, it’s not too late to spruce up your landscape now so you can enjoy it all summer long. Here’s a checklist of essential landscape maintenance tasks to prepare for summer in Allentown, PA.
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1. Get your hardscape and softscape repairs out of the way so they don’t interfere with summer relaxation and activities. Drainage problems, cracked pavers, broken asphalt, crumbling concrete, and malfunctioning light fixtures are just a few repairs that you can do now before you can really relax and enjoy your summer. Broken tree branches or dead trees should be removed by professionals, as tree work is a hazardous job.
2. Catch up with lawn care before the heat of summer - and before weeds have completely taken over. You still have time to overseed, aerate, dethatch, fertilize, and weed your lawn. Waiting until summer will just set you up for a season of frustration and unnecessary hard work. It can be overwhelming to do so much in such a short time, so if you’re not up to the task, give us a call! Our lawn care experts will professionally prepare your lawn for a summer of barefoot fun!
3. Mulch your plant beds, shrubs, and trees. A fresh layer of mulch will help plant roots retain moisture and discourage weeds - which will save you money and effort during summer. Divide overcrowded perennials and fill in any areas that need a pop of color. It may be too late to plant seeds, but late spring is still a good time to install mature annuals and perennials to make your landscape instantly cheerful and bright.
4. Prune spring-blooming deciduous shrubs as soon as they’re past flowering. If your shrubs are healthy and well-maintained, they’ll only need a light pruning. Pruning immediately after a shrub has flowered gives the shrub adequate time to set buds for next season. Do not prune summer-flowering shrubs now; they must be pruned in late winter/early spring, because they flower on this year’s growth.
5. Unless your outdoor light fixtures all have LED bulbs, replace light bulbs now so you’re not caught in the dark on a beautiful summer evening. Halogen, compact fluorescent and good old-fashioned incandescent lights don’t have nearly the lifespan of LED bulbs. If your non-LED light bulbs are more than a season or two old and you don’t want to replace them just yet, at least have some spares on hand.
6. Sharpen your lawn mower blades! If you have a professional lawn care service, this isn’t something you need to worry about but if you’re doing your own lawn maintenance - and haven’t sharpened your blades since last year, do it now to avoid “shredding” your lawn with dull blades, which stresses it and invites pests and disease.
7. Inspect your irrigation system and water feature(s). When summer hits, you want your irrigation system and fountains to work flawlessly and your pond water to be fresh and sparkling clean.
8. Thoroughly clean your patio, walkway and driveway pavers to remove any residue of deicing salts or rotten leaves.
9. Hang some string lights. Nothing says “party” more than festive string lights. Even if you’re not going to be hosting large parties this summer, string lights still add a cheerful look to your patio.
10. Carefully inspect the jointing sand on your paver patio, walkway, or driveway. Replace any that has washed away, to discourage weeds.
Related: Landscape Design Ideas for Waterfront Backyards in Reading, PA
