Chicago Home and Lifestyles – Spring Landscape
Now is a great time to get out in the yard and get things ready for the weeks to come. In the Chicagoland area our planting time for vegetables is May 15th. I usually wait an additional week as we regularly have frost past that date. You can plant vegetables on the 15th but be ready to cover them in case of frost. Tomatoes especially damage easily in the cold. Go ahead and put flowers out, they should be okay.
Trees and shrubs need a little attention to get them ready for summer. Clean out any old mulch and debris from around the trunk. Add fresh mulch making sure to leave a good 6 inches free around the base. Mulching too close to tree trunks or shrub bases attracts insects and could cause moisture damage. After the spring blooming shrubs are done flowering it’s time to prune. Clean out any old nonproducing canes and stems in the middle and prune the outside for a pleasing shape.
Right now the soil is warmer but temperatures are moderate; this is great grass growing time. You can aerate manually or rent a machine – either way is good to promote nutrients and water to the grassroots. Adding topsoil now is also a good idea. Fresh soil will help the grass to get a good start. Overseed with some good grass seed. We prefer 100% Kentucky Blue Grass. It’s really the best and has less weed seeds. Keep the seed moist till it germinates, usually 7-14 days.
The garden can use a little attention too. Rake out any plant debris left over from the winter and dispose of. Don’t compost this material as it can contain disease. Best to just get rid of it. Carefully pull out as many weeds as you can, getting out as much of the root as you can. Don’t turn over the soil, that just brings more weed seeds to the surface where they get sun and water to grow. Cover the entire garden with 1-2 inches of mushroom compost. This will work its way into the soil and loosen it while adding nutrients.
Now you are ready for your landscape to take off with warmer temperatures coming! Spring usually provides enough moisture for the landscape but pay attention. You want at least an inch per week. In a dry week we will need to water.
Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago
