Here are some tips to keep in mind to prepare your yard for the summer.

Tip one:
Do not prune flowering shrubs until after they have bloomed. The reason for this is that if you prune them before they begin blooming, you will cut off all of the flower buds. When you are pruning the shrubs make sure that you prune to shape the plants. You do not have to stick with little, round buns, although those also look nice in yards. When pruning the plants you want to prune them in the best interest of the plant, you want to work with the natural shape of the plant. For example, if you have a tall and upright plant, you will want to prune it tall and upright. When pruning hedges, no matter what kind, you want to prune them so that the top is narrower than the bottom. Pruning them this way allows the light to get all the way down to the base and keeps the hedges denser.

Tip two:
With trees, you are going to want to prune broken or damaged branches. Branches that have been broken by the wind or late snows will need to be taken down to the nearest branch crotch. If the tree is big or too hard for you to prune you should hire a professional to trim it. With young trees, you do not want to prune them until the following winter.

Tip three:
After the last frost has passed, for lowlands it is in mid-May, while higher elevations might see frost into June, you will need to plant your annual flowers. If you put them in the ground before the last frost has passed, you need to be prepared to protect. When planting flowers keep in mind that perennials are the short blasts of colors that you see in the garden, where the annuals are the workhorses and continue to bloom until they freeze next fall.

Tip four:
Annuals are showiest in masses so you will want to use them liberally. You can even place annuals in containers. This will allow you to use them throughout your yard or even in the house. You can also use trailing plants in hanging baskets throughout your deck. Use a variety of things, such as purple basil, other herbs, or veggies to accent your containers.

Tip five:
Once the danger of the last frost as passed, you can begin planting your vegetables in the ground at any time. Just keep in mind that beans and corns like it warm, so you want to plant them in a sunny location. You want to plant tomatoes in rich soil, they are also fast growers so be sure to put cages on them early. You can start your vegetables in the house in little containers and then transplant them to the yard once the ground warms up.

Tip six:
For your lawn, your best choice is to keep bluegrass. If you have bluegrass, you want to keep it at least two and a half inches long. The reason for this is that it is better for the grass and it uses less water. You want to mow regularly so that you cut only one third of the length of the grass blade each time you mow. The deeper you water the less frequently you need to water. When using fertilizer you want to use fertilizer that is safe for kids and pets and use it once a month during the growing season.