Spring Spruce Up: Essential Tips for Trimming Your Landscape This Season

Spring has sprung in St. Charles County, and with it comes the urge to revitalize your outdoor space! Trimming your landscaping is a crucial step in promoting healthy plant growth, enhancing curb appeal, and creating a picture-perfect yard. Here’s your essential guide to spring trimming, ensuring your landscape thrives throughout the season:

Know When to Snip:

• Timing is Key: Wait until the threat of frost has passed before making any major cuts. Ideally, trim most trees and shrubs after they’ve begun to show new growth, typically in late spring or early summer for our region.
• Evergreen Exceptions: Evergreens like pines and spruces can be trimmed throughout the growing season, but avoid heavy pruning in late summer or fall as this can stimulate new growth that won’t have time to harden before winter.

Sharpen Your Tools:

• Clean Cuts, Healthy Plants: Use sharp, clean pruning shears or loppers for precise cuts that minimize damage to your plants. Dull blades can tear and wound branches, making them susceptible to disease.

Focus on Shaping & Renewal:

• Remove Dead or Diseased Branches: Start by identifying and removing any dead, diseased, or damaged branches. This allows healthy parts of the plant to receive more sunlight and nutrients.
• Shape for Beauty & Function: Once you’ve removed problem areas, focus on shaping your plants to promote healthy growth and maintain desired size and form.

Blooming Beauties:

• Spent Flowers, Fresh Growth: For early blooming shrubs like forsythia or lilacs, wait until after flowering is finished before pruning. Trimming too early can remove buds that would have produced future blooms.
• Encourage Repeat Blooms: For some repeat-blooming shrubs like roses, deadheading (removing spent flowers) throughout the season can encourage continuous flowering.

Remember, Less is Often More:

• Avoid Drastic Cuts: Resist the urge to prune excessively. A light hand is best for most plants. Focus on removing no more than one-third of the overall growth at a time.

Spring Trimming Made Easy in St. Charles County:

For additional tips or assistance with your St. Charles County landscaping needs, contact us at Susan Brewer Service First Real Estate! Our team of experts can offer personalized advice and connect you with reliable landscaping professionals.