First things first: figure out a design for your lawn and garden. What do you want it to look like? What are your favorite types of flowers and plants? Are you allergic to anything? If you figure out a color scheme, your lawn could look perfectly organized and coordinated.

Danny Lipford has this great list of landscaping tips to prepare your lawn and garden for the spring:

1. Prune your shrubs and remove any deadwood.
2. Inspect your garden for any needed structural repairs and finish any jobs you started last fall.
3. Remove dirt and debris from drainage ditches, gutters and planting beds, clear brush and undergrowth, and cut back dead foliage.
4. Turn your compost pile, or start one up now.
5. Get rid of weeds and protect your garden from pests.
6. Once your soil is dry, add a couple of inches of compost or your favorite organic mix to your planting beds.
7. Even out your mulch with a rake to about 2 to 4 inches.
8. Service your gardening tools, clean out empty flower pots, and prepare other miscellaneous objects sitting in your shed.
9. Clean out and inspect birdhouses and feeders.
10. Get your lawn ready by correcting and reseeding it.
11. Start seeds indoors for later planting in the garden, repot houseplants if needed, and prune any dead foliage or overgrowth.
12. Plan for the coming year by inspecting your garden and seeing what more you can do for it.

With spring comes a sense of change and rebirth – use it to your advantage! Think creatively and colorfully, and educate yourself on aspects of landscaping. Make your lawn and garden into something you can truly be proud of and keep them healthy and growing all season long.

Article originally posted here: http://www.homeremodelingct.org/article_view.php?articleid=12