After a long Midwest winter, your landscape is ready to wake up. Leaves have piled up, perennials look tir
ed, and garden beds may be hiding a season’s worth of debris. A proper spring cleanup is one of the most important things you can do to set your landscape up for a healthy, beautiful growing season. Done right, a spring cleanup doesn’t just make your yard look better—it helps plants thrive, keeps your yard healthy and safe, and gives your landscape the strong start it needs to thrive all year long.
Timing matters
In central Indiana, the ideal timing for a spring landscape cleanup typically falls between mid-March and early April, depending on how quickly winter loosens its grip. By this point, snow and freezing temperatures are usually behind us, and soil begins to thaw enough to work in planting beds without causing compaction. You’ll also start to see the first signs of new growth from perennials and ornamental grasses, making it easier to identify what should be cut back and what should be left alone.
Don’t be tempted to throw on your gardening gloves and start raking on the first warm day. Cleaning up too early can disrupt beneficial insects and pollinators that overwinter in stems and leaf litter. Many experts recommend waiting until consistent daytime temperatures reach around 50°F for several days in a row. This allows overwintering insects to emerge naturally and helps protect the small ecosystem that supports a healthy garden throughout the growing season.
However, don’t wait too long. Once spring growth accelerates, last year’s debris can smother new shoots and make cleanup more difficult. Tackling a spring cleanup no later than the end of April gives plants room to grow, allows mulch to be refreshed before weeds take off, and sets the stage for a tidy, healthy landscape as the gardening season begins.
Before jumping into cleanup mode, take a walk around your property and assess what winter left behind. Look for broken branches, compacted beds, leftover leaves, and any signs of winter damage to plants or hardscapes.
You’re looking for:
This quick assessment helps prioritize your work and ensures nothing important gets overlooked.
Winter winds tend to deposit leaves and debris into planting beds, lawn edges, and around shrubs. While a light layer of leaves can protect soil during winter, leaving them in place through spring can smother emerging plants and create the perfect environment for pests and fungal diseases.
Start by:
If leaves have broken down into the soil, they can often be gently cultivated into the top layer as organic matter.
Many perennials and ornamental grasses were left standing through winter for visual interest and to provide habitat for beneficial insects. Now that spring is arriving, it’s time to cut them back to make room for new growth.
Cut back:
Removing old growth helps plants direct their energy toward new shoots and keeps beds looking tidy. Be sure to check for signs of emerging growth before cutting. Some plants begin pushing new shoots earlier than others, and you want to avoid trimming off fresh growth.
Spring is a great time to remove winter damage from trees and shrubs.
Look for:
However, timing matters when pruning. Many spring-flowering shrubs—like lilacs, azaleas, and forsythia—set their flower buds the previous year. Pruning them too early can remove this year’s blooms. For those plants, wait until after they flower to prune. For most other shrubs, removing dead or damaged wood in early spring helps encourage healthy new growth.
Over the course of a year, lawn grass slowly creeps into planting beds, blurring the crisp lines that make landscapes look polished. Spring cleanup is the perfect time to redefine those edges.
Using a bed edger or spade, cut a clean edge between lawn and planting beds. This simple step instantly improves the appearance of your landscape and helps prevent grass from invading beds throughout the season. Clean edges also make mulching easier and give your property that professionally maintained look, especially if you happen to be preparing to put your home on the market this year.
One of the most overlooked steps in spring cleanup is early weed control. Catching weeds early makes a huge difference in how manageable they are throughout the season. Look for cool-season weeds like: Chickweed, Henbit, Bittercress and Dandelions. Pulling or treating these weeds before they go to seed prevents thousands of new weeds from emerging later in the year. A quick pass through planting beds now can save hours of weeding later.
Mulch does more than just make beds look neat. It helps retain soil moisture, regulate soil temperature, and suppress weeds. After winter, mulch often becomes thin, faded, or displaced. Spring is the ideal time to refresh it. If you have bare spots in your landscaping or plants that didn’t make it through the winter, consider replacing them prior to mulching so you won’t have to do it again.
Spread mulch evenly at a depth of about 2–3 inches. Avoid piling mulch against plant stems or tree trunks, which can trap moisture and cause rot. Fresh mulch instantly brightens the look of your landscape and provides valuable protection for plants heading into the growing season.
Your lawn likely needs a little attention after winter as well.
Spring cleanup around your lawn should include:
If necessary, early-season aeration or overseeding can help revive tired lawns and promote thicker, healthier turf. Spring is also the time when you need to start fertilizing your lawn, and a clean lawn surface also helps fertilizer and water reach the soil more effectively.
As spring rains kick in, it’s a good idea to inspect irrigation systems and drainage issues.
Check for:
Catching water issues early prevents bigger problems later and ensures your landscape receives consistent, efficient moisture where it’s needed and keeps it away from your home.
Finally, use your spring cleanup as an opportunity to think ahead. Are there areas where plants struggled last year? Could a bed benefit from new perennials or seasonal color? Are there spaces that might be perfect for containers or porch pots? With beds freshly cleaned and edges defined, it becomes much easier to visualize improvements like adding a pergola, patio or even an outdoor kitchen.
A thorough spring cleanup lays the groundwork for everything that follows in your landscape. By clearing debris, pruning plants, refreshing mulch, and preparing your lawn, you give your yard the best possible start to the growing season. The result is a healthier landscape, stronger plant growth, and outdoor spaces that look beautiful from the very beginning of spring.
If all of these steps feel like more weekend time than you’re willing to give up, bring in a trusted, local landscaping company to do your spring cleanup for you!
Heath Outdoor, a premier, local, family-owned landscaping company established in 2009, proudly serves the vibrant communities of Indianapolis and its surrounding areas. Strategically located in the heart of Indianapolis, we extend our expert landscaping and hardscaping services to both commercial and residential customers in Carmel, Westfield, Fishers, Geist, Noblesville, Zionsville, Avon, Plainfield, Brownsburg, McCordsville, Greenwood and beyond.
Custom gardens and landscapes, paver patios and walkways, water features and recreation ponds, custom outdoor fire pits and fireplaces, outdoor kitchens, pool and spa vaults, tiny houses, storage sheds, pergolas and decks, retaining walls, fencing and playgrounds.
Mowing, mulching, planting and watering service, irrigation and drainage system installation and repairs, seasonal property clean-ups, and snow and ice management. In 2024, Heath Outdoor added eco-focused private gardening and garden coaching to our property maintenance services through a partnership with Spotts Garden Service.
We’re not just in the business of landscaping—we’re in the business of finding solutions and bringing dreams to life. Whether it’s crafting breathtaking commercial outdoor spaces or creating custom outdoor living areas from scratch, we’ve got the passion, expertise, creativity and team to make it happen.
At Heath Outdoor, we’re also committed to giving back to the community, through our Juneteenth service project, annual participation in the Indy Pride parade, Butter Art Fair and Feast of Lanterns sponsorship and neighborhood beautification efforts.
Heath Outdoor is a Hurst Brothers company. Other brands in the Hurst Brothers family of companies include: DIGS Garden Center, Indy Insulation and Spray Company and Spotts Garden Service.
#bestlandscaperindianapolis #bestlandscaperhamiltoncounty #bestlandscaperboonecounty #outdoorliving #customoutdoorspaces #lovelocal #supportlocal #loveindy #do317
