Outdoor spaces should reflect who you are and why you love your home. A well-prepared landscape sets the tone for the season ahead. Use these tips to confidently prepare your lawn and garden for Spring.
Preparation and Assessment
Ensuring landscape elements are functioning properly helps reduce stress and protect your budget. Test irrigation systems to prevent water waste. Clean gutters and downspouts, and consider harvesting rainwater with a rain barrel.
Clear fallen leaves or mow them into the lawn to add nutrients. Improve soil health with compost and organic fertilizers. Refresh or loosen mulch to improve aeration; hardwood mulch helps retain moisture and suppress weeds.
Vegetation Care
Remove weeds that compete for water and nutrients. Apply pre-emergent weed control and mow lawns at an average height of four inches. Prune dormant trees and apply slow-release fertilizer around its base. Shape shrubs and flowers by trimming just above new growth. Clear frost-damaged vegetables and herbs. Amend beds with compost.
Plant Selection
Gardeners in Zone 8a should follow North Texas planting calendars and consider drought-tolerant Texas Native plants. Recommended trees include Texas redbud, Mexican plum, and desert willow. Popular shrubs are Texas sage, red yucca, and lantana. Flowering favorites include black-eyed Susan, coneflower, bee balm, and butterfly milkweed. Vines and ornamental grasses such as crossvine, pink muhly, and little bluestem add texture and movement.
Important Considerations
Wait to plant until after the last frost, typically mid-March. Shop local nurseries, design gardens with pollinators in mind, and establish plants early before summer heat arrives. Garden with curiosity and joy. The rewards of a thriving landscape are priceless
Daniel Arenas is a Master Gardener, Urban Garden Specialist, and Educator with Beulah Acres at the Global Spheres Center.