Getting Your Yard Ready for Spring 2025

As the snow melts and the days grow longer, it’s time to breathe new life into your outdoor space. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, early spring is the perfect time to prep your garden beds, trim back overgrowth, and give your lawn and perennials a healthy head start.

Getting your yard ready for spring in the Calgary, Okotoks, and Foothills area means taking advantage of the brief but beautiful growing season in Alberta. In this post, we’ll walk you through essential spring landscaping tasks like pruning, fertilizing, soil prep, and more. So, your yard can thrive all season long.

Pruning is done during the spring in order to remove dead wood and reduce the plant’s size as well as removing crowded branches. High quality pruners should also be used to ensure the healthiest cut when pruning. Felco or Corona branded pruners are a fantastic option they are extremely sturdy and last for a lifetime.

Be sure pruners are sharp prior to use. If pruning diseased plant material (i.e. Black Knot) always bleach pruners between every cut to prevent spread.
As a general rule, prune no more than 1/3 of the plant at a time. Also make sure to prune spring flowering shrubs after they bloom. If they are pruned before they bloom you are removing this year’s flower buds.

We recommend fertilizing in early May. This includes fruit trees, lawns, perennials, shrubs, evergreen trees etc.
Countryside’s custom spring fertilizer is professional grade:

• 33% root fertilizer
• 33% mycorrhizae
• 33% nitrogen

This is a slow release formula and first week in May and two weeks after that for the best result. Fertilize your veggies and garden plants with a water soluble plant food every other watering.

Taking early action ensures your lawn, flower beds, and landscaping are primed for the growing season ahead. With a few simple steps, you can boost curb appeal and enjoy a lush, well-maintained yard all spring and summer long.

We would recommend using Garden Pro. They have multiple different formulas for the different plants in your garden such as a one for tomatoes, flowering plants etc.

Before planting, it’s essential to ensure your soil has proper drainage and adequate nutrients. To improve drainage, incorporate plenty of organic matter-especially if none has been previously added-such as compost. This enhances aeration, drainage, and nutrient content. If your soil is particularly hard or clay-heavy, mix in Zeolite, a granular product derived from volcanic rock. Zeolite not only helps break down clay but also enriches the soil with nutrients, getting yard ready for the spring.

To maintain nutrient balance, start by testing your soil to identify any deficiencies. Soil tests also measure pH levels, which should ideally range between 6.5 and 7.5. An imbalanced pH can hinder a plant’s ability to absorb nutrients, affecting its overall growth and health.

• Remove Leaf Debris
• Rake up fallen leaves from under and around plants. Pests and fungal diseases often hide in leaf debris over the winter.
• If your trees, shrubs, or vines had insect infestations (such as mites, scale, aphids, or leafhoppers) last season, spray them with horticultural oil before they start to leaf out. This helps eliminate any lingering pests.
• If your plants suffered from fungal issues like powdery mildew or black knot, spray them with Lime Sulphur before they leaf out to prevent recurrence.

Following these steps will help create a healthier garden for the upcoming season!

Cut back all perennials to about 6 inches above the ground to allow new growth to emerge from the crown. This is also a great time to divide many perennials-simply use a sturdy garden fork to dig them up and split them into halves or quarters.

Getting your yard ready for spring is a crucial step for homeowners in Calgary, Okotoks, and the Foothills region who want a healthy, vibrant outdoor space. As temperatures rise and the ground begins to thaw, it’s the perfect time to clean up winter debris, trim trees and shrubs, enrich the soil, and prepare your garden for new growth.