May is a good time to take care of thin grass and bare patches in your lawns. It’s also a good time to deal with weeds before they can get out of control.

A good way to take care of all three problems is to use a weed / feed / seed mix. The fertilizer in the mix will encourage growth and replace the weeds. (Has anybody else noticed that dandelions are on a rampage this year?) The seed will fill in the bare patches and thicken your existing grass.

To create your own mix, buy a fertilizer that’s specifically mixed for use on lawns (these generally have a higher ratio of nitrogen than other types of garden fertilizers). Mix in a weed killer that is specifically for broadleaf plants like dandelions. And top it off with seed that matches the light level in your yard – Kentucky Bluegrass for sunny areas, Red Fescue for shadier areas. If there are a lot of trees, you can also get a deep shade seed mix.

Don’t be taken in by those ads for zoysia grass that promise a thick, lush lawn. Zoysia and
other warm season grasses just don’t grow well here.

It’s exciting to see the perennials exploding in spring, bigger and better than the year before. They are wonderful for planting beds, especially since they don’t have to be replaced every year. But perennials bloom for only so long. You may have perennials blooming right now, then nothing in June or July.

A fun way to keep the color going is to incorporate annuals into your landscaping plan. A few flats of bright pansies in the sun, Johnny-Jump-ups in the shade, and snapdragons in between will give you continuous color throughout the yard. Be sure to match your color schemes as you fill in. And for maximum color impact, plant annuals in mass.

Don’t have the time or energy to plant your own annuals? Our gardening crews are here to help.  Give us a call at 303-997-9095.