Landscaping Guides
Mulch your beds, edge your borders, and maintain your yard like a pro. Curb appeal starts with the basics done right.
The 3 Landscaping Basics Every Homeowner Needs
Mulch
Suppresses weeds, retains soil moisture, regulates temperature, looks great. Fresh mulch every 1–2 years.
Edging
Creates a crisp defined border between lawn and beds. Makes everything look intentional and clean.
Irrigation
Test sprinkler heads annually. Mark them before any digging. Adjust in spring, shut off in fall.
How to Mulch Your Beds
Mulch is the single highest-return landscaping task. Fresh 3" layer every spring/fall = fewer weeds, healthier plants, and your whole yard looks cared for.
Volcano Mulching Kills Trees
Never pile mulch against tree trunks like a volcano. Leave a 4–6" ring of bare soil around every tree. Mulch piled on trunks causes rot, disease, and eventually tree death.
Pull weeds and clean beds first
Mulch over weeds and you'll just have weeds in mulch. Clear the bed, then optionally lay cardboard (free weed barrier) before mulching.
Calculate and order mulch
Target 2–3" depth. Formula: Beds sq ft × 3" depth ÷ 324 = cubic yards needed. One yard covers ~100 sq ft at 3". Use our calculator below for exact amounts.
Spread with pitchfork, level with hands
Dump piles every 5–6 feet. Spread from the center outward. Keep away from plant stems and tree trunks. Rake level to achieve even 2–3" coverage.
Edge the beds last
After spreading mulch, use a half-moon edger or string trimmer to cut a sharp edge at the lawn/mulch line. This small final step makes everything look professional.
How many bags of mulch do you need?
Tell us your bed dimensions and get an exact count — bags or bulk cubic yards.
Calculate Mulch Needed →How to Edge Landscape Beds
A clean crisp edge makes the whole yard look sharp. Edge 2–3 times a season — spring to establish, then touch-up as grass creeps in.
Choose your tool
Manual half-moon edger: most precise, great for curves. Power rotary edger: fast on long straight runs. String trimmer (held vertically): fastest but takes practice to keep a straight line.
Create a new edge or redefine old edges
New edge: use a garden hose as a template for curves, string line for straight runs. Press edger in vertically to cut 2–3" deep. Old edge: just cut along the existing border to remove regrowth.
Remove clippings and mulch bed
Rake or blow clippings away from the bed. Then mulch immediately — fresh edges + fresh mulch is the highest curb-appeal ROI in landscaping.
Seasonal Sprinkler & Irrigation Check
A broken sprinkler head wastes 25+ gallons per minute and can kill the very plants you're trying to water. Run each zone manually every spring before summer heat arrives.
Run Each Zone Manually
Don't just inspect visually — actually turn on each irrigation zone in manual mode and watch it run completely. A head that appears fine can have a cracked base that floods underground. Visual inspection while running reveals problems standing water never shows.
Check for broken or tilted heads
As each zone runs, look for: heads spraying sideways instead of in a pattern (cracked body), heads not popping up fully (clogged filter or low pressure), heads gushing water at the base (broken riser), and heads missing entirely (mow damage). Broken heads are $4–$15 each to replace.
Adjust coverage — eliminate dry spots and overlap
Each head should meet its neighbors' spray at the tips (head-to-head coverage). Dry spots between heads create dead grass. Adjust rotation and radius using the adjustment screw on top of most heads — a flat-head screwdriver or head-specific tool. Check the manual for your brand.
Clean clogged nozzles
Remove the nozzle from the top of the head (usually unscrews). Rinse with clean water, use a pin to clear any debris from the small opening. Very fine screens trap dirt — a quick soak in clean water clears most blockages. Clogged nozzles are the #1 cause of dry patches.
Update the timer / controller schedule
Adjust watering days and duration for the season. Early morning (4–6 AM) is the best watering time — less evaporation, leaves dry before night (reduces fungal disease). Most cool-season grasses need 1 inch per week; warm-season grasses need slightly less. Use the rain sensor — never water after rain.
Effective Weed Control in Beds
Weed prevention is 5× more effective than weed removal. Attack weeds before they appear in spring, and maintenance becomes a quick weekly task instead of an endless battle.
Apply pre-emergent in early spring
Pre-emergent herbicide prevents weed seeds from germinating. Apply when soil temps reach 50°F (typically when forsythia is blooming). Spread granular pre-emergent over clean, mulched beds, water in lightly. This single step eliminates 80% of summer weeding in most regions.
Smother with fresh mulch
A 3" layer of mulch blocks light from weed seeds. Applied after pre-emergent, it's a double layer of defense. Once existing weeds emerge through old mulch, pull them, then top off to 3". This combination — pre-emergent + deep mulch — virtually eliminates new weed establishment.
Pull weekly before they go to seed
The critical rule: pull weeds before they flower and set seed. One dandelion produces 15,000 seeds. A single bind weed can spread 30 feet. A 20-minute weekly walk through beds in spring prevents 3 hours of summer weeding. Grip at the base, pull slowly to get the taproot.
Spot-treat persistent weeds
For weeds that regrow from roots (bindweed, thistle, dandelion), a targeted application of glyphosate-based herbicide on the leaves (shield neighboring plants) is more effective than pulling alone. Apply on a dry, still day. Avoid spraying near desirable plants or any water feature.
Trim Trees & Shrubs the Right Way
Improper pruning kills plants, creates disease entry points, and ruins shapes. The right cut — at the branch collar, at the right time — keeps plants healthy and looking intentional.
Timing Determines Success
Most shrubs are pruned immediately after flowering (spring bloomers in late spring, summer bloomers in late winter). Trees are best pruned in late winter while dormant. Summer pruning stresses plants and invites insects and disease. Never prune in fall — it triggers new growth that gets killed by first frost.
Remove dead, damaged, and crossing branches first
These are always safe to remove at any time of year. Dead branches harbor disease. Crossing branches create wounds where they rub. This "D-D-C" first pass (Dead, Damaged, Crossing) typically resolves 80% of what needs doing and often reveals the natural structure of the plant.
Cut just outside the branch collar
The branch collar is the swollen ring of bark where a branch meets the trunk or a larger limb. Cut just outside it — not flush with the trunk (leaves a stub) and not inside it (damages the healing zone). This precise cut closes over properly and resists disease.
For shrubs: remove 1/3 older canes at the base
For multi-stemmed shrubs (lilac, forsythia, viburnum), remove the thickest, oldest canes at ground level each year — about 1/3 of the total. This "renewal pruning" lets new growth in and keeps bushes full and flowering. Never "scalp" a shrub by shearing it below its canopy — this kills it from the inside out.
Keep branches away from the house
Prune back any branches within 6 feet of your roof or siding. Branches scraping siding cause paint failure and abrasion damage. Overhanging roof branches deposit debris in gutters and provide a bridge for insects and rodents to access your home.