When my children were young, I spent a lot of time in our guest bathroom. Whether it was potty training, helping to wash hands, or helping to make sure everything was tucked in and buttoned up, I spent an inordinate amount of time in that little room. In an effort to maintain my sanity while caring for not only my own children, but also nieces, nephews and neighborâs kids, I promised myself that when the days of caring for little ones had passed, I was going to scrub grout between the bright pink tiles that covered the floor. It was my way of saying, âthis too shall pass, and one day I will have the day to myself to clean the house.â Well 10 years later, I have to confess I still havenât gotten down on my hands and knees to scrub that grout.
Projects around the house frequently have to be prioritized. Time and money are not in endless supply and therefore we need to pick and choose which ones should be completed and when they should be done. Landscaping projects also need to be prioritized. While placing a container of flowers on your front porch, increases the curb appeal, it isnât something that has to be done each spring. There are landscaping projects though, that if left undone can develop into bigger issues and if at all possible, really need to be prioritized. The following is a list of landscaping projects that I would encourage you to consider as âMust do projectsâ for 2018. These are the ones that I wouldnât put off.
Prune evergreen shrubs – If your evergreen shrubs are either at the height and width that you want them to be or slightly taller or wider, then prune them. While some shrubs can take severe pruning, typically evergreen shrubs can only be pruned a little bit at time. Deciduous shrubs can sometimes successfully be pruned 6-18â or more, evergreen shrubs can only be pruned several inches at a time. Donât let you evergreen shrubs start to outgrow their space or it may not be possible to get them back under control.
Remove trees that are in the wrong place – While I am very cautious about recommending that people cut down trees, I encourage you to evaluate the trees near your home. If you have a tree branches that are currently touching your home, those branches need to be pruned and will most likely continue to need to be prune on a regular basis. If you have a tree that is planted close to your home, consider removing the tree. I am not saying that it needs to be removed, or that it should be removed, I am just encouraging you to evaluate it and consider the tree and the planting situation.
Reset edging around paved surfaces -The plastic edging that is around the outside of paver patios, sidewalks, and driveway ribbons should be about 1/8 of an inch below the top of the pavers. It is generally not visible. If you have paved surfaces in your yard and you can see the plastic edging, then it needs to be reset. Sometimes this can be done simply by pushing lightly on the top of it. Usually though, the edging needs to be removed and new edging installed. The plastic edging helps to keep the pavers in place. If the edging too high, it is not able to keep the pavers in place as efficiently and this may result in the pavers shifting.
Bury or extend your downspouts – All the water from your gutters should ideally go into your lawn. Downspouts that are directed into planting areas or mulched areas often result in erosion. Plants can also be negatively affected by the water that is coming from downspouts.
Add sod to recapture more lawn and less landscape bed -The edging on landscaping beds is often spaded or cut every year to make a nice crisp edge between the planting area and the lawn. The result is that each year our planting areas get a little bigger. Over time, that can result in a significant loss of lawn. If it seems like your beds are a little too large, then add sod. This will result in less maintenance due to less weeding and mulching needed.
Apply preen -Before the weeds start to grow this spring, consider applying Preen. Preen is a pre-emergent herbicide that suppresses weed growth. A little work now will save a lot of weeding later.
As for my grout, I have found that a few throw rugs cover it up quite nicely. Now maybe when all my kids go to college, I will finally find the time to keep my house in such a manner that would make my grandmother proud.
Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc., a garden center and landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or emailing her at kathleen@thegrowingscene.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She will address it in an upcoming column.
