10 Steps to Enhance Your Evanston Garden

Evanston is a beautiful place with it’s tree lined streets, well maintained lawns and its downtown area full of potted plants and foliage.  Many of its residents take great pride in contributing to this scenic city. 

If you haven’t begun your gardening for the season- it’s not too late!  Maybe you’ve never gardened before, but would like to start building your yard to create the curb appeal or even fresh vegetables you’ve always wanted.  Below is your May checklist to make sure you’re well on your way!

1. Bulbs- Want full, rich colors in your yard?  Begin planting bulbs of dahlia, lily, gladiolus and tuberous begonia. 

2. Annuals- Now is the time to plant hardy annual such as petunias, dianthus, snapdragons and pansies.  If you’re worried about front, simply cover the plants with plastic at night.  You can also opt for hanging mixed baskets filled with fuchsias, geraniums and impatiens which can easily be moved inside if threatened by a frost.

3.  Perennials- As you begin to see these return, be sure to give these plants some fertilizer to ensure they’re fed for the season.

4. Lawn care- Now is the ideal time to assess the needs of your lawn if you haven’t already done so.  Begin cleaning away weeds and debris that settled during the winter.  Begin fertilizing grassy areas and do any trimming to give a well manicured appearance.

5. Vegetables- Before you begin planting, consider the timing of your plants as well as who makes the best neighbors.  Plant hardier veggies such as lettuce or potatoes now and wait until it’s consistenly 60 degrees before planting the more delicate plants.  Beans, celery an cucumbers are happy to be planted near each other, but be sure to keep bean plants away from aromatic vegetables such as garlic.

6. Planting- Buy new plants along with replacements of those that may not have made it through the Chicago winters. 

7. Fertilizing- This is key to keeping your plants well fed and growing all season.  Don’t forget to give your well-loved plants their food!  Be sure that you don’t “over-fertilize” as it can kill the plants or cause “leaf burn.”

8. Pruning- Pruning needs vary by climate zones.  Be sure to check on more details of pruning for the Chicago area. 

9. Weeding- No one likes to do it, but weeds need to be nipped in the bud before they get out of control.  Spraying weed killer is a great option, just be sure to spray on a warm day with limited wind.

10.  Preparing Your Patio- With Memorial Day just around the corner, you’ll want to make sure your patio is spruced up and the furniture is cleaned and in good working order.

I hope these tips have been helpful! Getting your Evanston outdoor space ready for the summer season is something you’ll enjoy during the warmer months- and your neighbors will too!  Feel free to contact me with any questions you have about living in Evanston!


Judy Newton
Your Evanston Real Estate Expert
Coldwell Banker

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