A clean and well-maintained yard is the foundation of a beautiful and thriving outdoor space. Regular landscape yard clean up is essential for keeping your property healthy and attractive throughout the year. By removing debris, pruning overgrown plants, and tidying up garden beds, you not only improve your yard’s appearance but also create an environment where plants can flourish.
The benefits of landscape yard clean up go beyond aesthetics. It enhances plant health by eliminating pests and diseases, boosts curb appeal, and sets the stage for a vibrant, welcoming yard. For Denver homeowners, Mile High Lifescape is the trusted expert in landscaping, offering professional clean-up services tailored to your yard’s needs.
Ready to refresh your outdoor space and let your landscape shine? Let’s dive into the importance of yard clean-up and how it can transform your property!
Why Landscape Yard Clean Up Matters
The best time to start a landscape yard clean up is usually in early spring, around March. This is when the grass and plants haven’t started growing yet, and pests aren’t fully active. Starting early allows you to take care of your yard before any problems start.
But if you need to wait until later, that’s okay too! Just make sure to clean up your yard every year so it can stay healthy and beautiful. Here are 5 great benefits of having a professional yard clean-up done:
No More Debris
Winter can really mess up your yard. Ice and snow can cause trees and shrubs to lose branches, and they might even hide mold that doesn’t show up until the warmer months. By cleaning up fallen branches, twigs, and dead leaves from fall, you help stop mold, mildew, and fungi from growing. This also reduces the chances of pests hiding in dark, damp areas.
Once your yard is clear, you’ll notice the grass beginning its natural cycle. The old grass will break down and provide nutrients, helping your lawn get ready for a healthy season.
Your Yard is Safe to Enjoy
After a rough winter, trees can lose dead branches, which can be dangerous. These branches could fall and damage your home, car, or even hurt someone. To prevent this, it’s important to have a professional prune and trim your trees and shrubs every year. This keeps your trees healthy and safe, and helps avoid problems in the future.
Weeds Be Gone
At the start of the season, using a pre-emergent herbicide is a great way to stop weeds before they even start. This helps clear the yard of weeds without harming your grass or other plants. By applying it to the whole yard, you give your garden a head start in the fight against weeds.
A Vibrant Healthy Lawn
To help your yard thrive each season, it’s important to do things like aeration and overseeding. These two simple steps work really well together. Aeration helps the soil by making small holes that let water, air, nutrients, and sunlight reach the roots of the grass.
Overseeding fills in bare or thin spots in your lawn, encouraging healthy grass to grow. When you aerate and overseed at the same time, the holes created by aeration help the seeds settle in better, making your lawn stronger and more vibrant.
Long-term Success
When summer heat arrives, your yard will be much better off if you’ve taken care of it in the spring. A little work now can help your lawn stay healthy all year. Regular yard clean-ups are key.
By removing leaves, weeds, and dead branches from trees and shrubs, you create a safe and beautiful space for your family to enjoy throughout the year. A well-maintained yard is a happy yard!
Essential Tools for Landscape Yard Clean Up
Aerator
Aeration is an important step to keep your lawn healthy. It lets air, water, and nutrients get deep into the soil. After winter, the ground can get packed down, so using an aerator helps by creating small holes in the soil. These holes allow fertilizer to reach the roots. You can also walk across the yard in special spiked boots to help loosen the soil.
Lawn Mower
A lawn mower is another must-have for spring yard clean-up. It’s the perfect tool to help you keep your lawn neat and tidy, depending on the type of grass you have. If you add a mulching attachment, it’s even better because it helps clear away leaves and other debris, leaving your yard looking fresh.
String Trimmer
A string trimmer, also called a weed eater, is great for cutting grass in spots your mower can’t reach. It’s perfect for getting rid of weeds and keeping your lawn looking neat and clean. You can find them in electric or gas-powered versions.
Pruning Shears & Hedge Trimmers
Pruning shears and hedge trimmers are used to trim unwanted branches, leaves, and weeds. Pruning shears are great for delicate cuts, like removing old flowers to encourage new growth. Hedge trimmers help trim branches and vines, and for higher branches, a pole hedge trimmer helps you safely reach them without using a ladder.
Pressure Washer
A pressure washer uses strong water to clean hard surfaces in your yard. It’s great for washing away dirt and grime from places like patios, driveways, decks, fences, and pool areas. You can even use hot water for tougher stains. Pressure washing is safe for materials like pavers, stone, brick, and concrete, helping your outdoor spaces look fresh and clean again.
Stand-Up Weeder
A stand-up weeder is a handy tool that helps you pull out weeds without needing to bend down or kneel. It has a long handle, so you can stand while using it. Simply push the metal tip into the ground, step on the lever to grip the weed, and pull it out. It’s an easy way to keep your garden weed-free without the back pain!
Pop-Up Garden Bags
Pop-up garden bags are great to have during your spring landscape yard clean-up. They make collecting leaves, compost, and other garden waste easy. Unlike heavy wheelbarrows, these bags are lightweight and can be folded flat when not in use, saving space and time while you work.
Garden Saw
A garden saw is a versatile tool that can help with many yard tasks. You can use it to trim plants, cut vines, saw through branches, or even severe roots. It’s perfect for clearing out overgrown areas and making your yard neat and tidy for the season.
Step-by-Step Guide to Landscape Yard Clean Up
Task 1: Start Your Landscape Yard Clean Up
After a long winter, it’s time to get your yard back in shape. Begin by cleaning up any leftover leaves, fallen branches, weeds, and dead shrubs, bushes, or trees.
- Season: Late winter – early spring
- Key Tools: Shrub rake, clearing tools, ladder, and a place to dispose of the yard waste.
- How-to: Start by picking up bigger debris like tree branches. Then, clean up smaller items such as weeds and leftover leaves. If you have a lot of yard waste, make sure you have a disposal plan ready.
Task 2: Mow, Edge, and Fertilize Your Yard
For a healthy lawn, you need to mow and feed it regularly. This helps the grass grow strong and stay green.
- Season: Spring – fall
- Key Tools: Lawn mower, edger, fertilizer, and spreader
- How-to: Never cut more than a third of the grass height at once. As it gets warmer, raise your mower deck and mow less often. When the weather is cooler (below 50°F), you can stop mowing for the season. Trim the edges of your lawn when needed.
Task 3: Spread Mulch
Adding mulch to your garden makes your yard look fresh and neat. Mulch helps keep your plants healthy and your yard looking great.
- Season: Late spring – early summer
- Key Tools: Shovel, wheelbarrow or wagon, and landscaping rake
- How-to: Pile up the mulch where you need it, then spread it evenly about 2-4 inches thick using a rake and your hands. If you have extra mulch, move it to other areas with a wheelbarrow or wagon. Touch it up in the fall if needed.
Task 4: Fix Existing Structures
If you have a deck, patio, fence, or shed, it’s a good idea to check them each year for safety and any needed repairs. But don’t rush into fixing them right away. Wait until your yard has dried out a bit from the winter snow and spring rain, so your landscape has time to settle before starting your clean-up.
- Season: Summer
- Key Tools: Depends on what needs fixing (screwdriver, hammer, paint, etc.)
- How-to: For wooden decks or patios, make sure any loose nails or screws are tightened, and replace any broken boards. If needed, a fresh coat of stain or sealant can help protect the wood. For hardscaping like stone paths or patios, pull weeds out from between the stones and fix any grout or cracks.
Task 5: Thin Bushes and Shrubs
You can trim your bushes and shrubs at different times, depending on what works best for you. Some people trim before the spring blooms to spot dead spots, while others wait until after the shrubs bloom and grow so they can shape and trim them.
- Season: Summer – early fall
- Key Tools: Hedge clippers, clearing tools, and a shrub rake
- How-to: Use hedge clippers for smaller branches and clearing tools for larger ones. Trim your shrubs to keep them looking nice and to help them grow in the right shape. Use a shrub rake to clean up the hard-to-reach spots.
Task 6: Regrow the Lawn
Your lawn can get worn down over time, and it might have some bare spots. Whether it’s a small patch or a large area, it’s important to clear off any leaves first. Be careful when cleaning up around the freshly-grown grass, as the roots might still be shallow. This is also a great time to think about overseeding to fill in thinning spots and help your lawn grow fuller.
- Season: Early fall
- Key Tools: Lawn seed, sprinkler, lawn mower, and shovel
- How-to: Start by using a shovel to clean up any dead grass patches, and make sure the soil is loose. Then spread lawn seed over the bare spots and water them right away. Keep the new seeds moist so they can grow into a thick, healthy lawn.
Task 7: Remove Dead Branches and Trees
Getting rid of dead branches and trees is an important task that helps keep your yard safe. While you can do this job at any time of the year, it’s especially important in the fall, especially in colder areas. Dead branches covered in snow can easily fall and cause damage to your property.
- Season: Fall
- Key Tools: Clearing tools, ladder, and yard waste dumpster
- How-to: Use your clearing tools to cut off dead branches near the trunk. For smaller trees, you can usually handle the removal yourself. Just make sure to be careful and stay safe, especially when using a ladder.
Task 8: Protect Plants From Cold Weather
Some plants can handle cold weather on their own, but others need a little help to stay safe through winter. Protecting certain shrubs and smaller plants will ensure they look great when spring comes back around.
- Season: Late fall – winter
- Key Tools: Mulch and winter barriers
- How-to: Start by adding mulch around the base of the plant to keep it insulated and hold in moisture. Then, cover the plant with burlap, old sheets, or blankets to protect it from the cold. For shrubs, let the cover hang loosely around the base instead of tying it tightly around the trunk. If possible, make a frame to keep the cover off the plant to prevent damage.
Hiring Professional Landscape Yard Clean Up Services
Saves Time
When you have a busy schedule, between work, family, and other tasks, finding extra time for yard work can be hard. Do you really want to spend your free time hauling brush and dealing with cleanup? Yard work can take a lot of time, so it’s a smart choice to have professionals handle it for you.
Cost-Effective
At first, you might think cleaning up your yard is something you can handle on your own, but it often isn’t that simple. You might need to buy or rent tools, find a truck to haul debris, and pay disposal fees.
Plus, there’s the cost of using your precious free time. A professional landscaping service has all the right equipment and will get the job done quickly and efficiently, saving you time and hassle. In the end, you’ll probably save money by hiring someone else to do the work.
We Have the Equipment
Most homeowners don’t have all the tools and equipment needed for a proper landscape yard clean up. You may have basic tools, but probably don’t have the right loppers, pruners, or trimmers needed to keep your plants healthy.
When you hire a professional, they bring all the right gear and know how to use it correctly. Plus, you won’t have to worry about storing big, bulky tools in your garage.
Hire the Muscle
Yardwork is a great way to get exercise, but is it something you want to do in your free time? Lawn care professionals are strong, used to hard work, and ready to handle the tough tasks. Let us do the heavy lifting, so you can enjoy your yard without breaking a sweat!
FAQs about Landscape Yard Cleanup
What is the first procedure for cleaning up the yard?
Start by taking a good look at your yard to see what needs attention. Begin by removing things like fallen leaves, branches, and dead plants. This helps prevent pests and creates a better environment for your plants to grow strong.
How do I clean the outside of my yard?
To clean your yard properly:
- Remove Debris: Clear out leaves, branches, and any clutter.
- Prune Plants: Trim any overgrown shrubs or trees.
- Weed Control: Get rid of weeds from your lawn and garden.
- Lawn Care: Mow the grass and trim the edges for a neat look.
- Clean Hardscapes: Sweep and wash paths, patios, and driveways.
- Mulch Application: Add fresh mulch to garden beds to keep moisture in and prevent weeds.
How to clean a yard quickly?
To speed up the yard cleanup:
- Use the Right Tools: Grab rakes, leaf blowers, and pruning shears.
- Work in Sections: Break the yard into smaller parts and clean one area at a time.
- Enlist Help: Ask family members for help or hire professionals to make it go faster.
- Utilize Tarps: Use tarps to collect debris and easily move it for disposal.
What is outdoor spring cleaning?
Outdoor spring cleaning is when you get your yard ready for the new growing season by:
- Debris Removal: Clear out leaves, branches, and leftovers from winter.
- Soil Preparation: Aerate and fertilize the lawn to help it grow healthy.
- Pruning: Trim shrubs and trees to encourage fresh growth.
- Planting: Add new plants or flowers that fit the season.
These tasks help freshen up your yard after winter and make it ready for a beautiful and healthy season ahead.
Conclusion
Landscape yard clean up is essential for keeping your outdoor space healthy, safe, and welcoming. By removing debris, controlling weeds, and trimming plants, you create a clean, vibrant yard that’s ready for every season. Regular maintenance not only enhances your home’s curb appeal but also promotes plant health and prevents long-term issues.
Mile High Lifescape offers expert clean-up services tailored to your yard’s needs, so you can enjoy a beautiful, stress-free outdoor space. Ready to transform your yard? Start with a professional landscape yard clean up today!
