5 Backyard Projects to Tackle Over the Victoria Day Long Weekend

1. Get your grass ready
The first thing you’ll want to do to get your garden ready for the summer is care for your lawn. Start clearing away old leaves and dead grass by raking to prevent thatch, which is when dead layers of grass prevent new growth from occurring.

Next, you’ll want to overseed bare patches of grass with some grass seed to encourage growth. This can be done by hand or using a spreader, depending on the size of your lawn. You can also fertilize your grass with a nitrogen-free fertilizer. This will help prevent weeds and promote strong root development!

Materials:

Lawn rake
Yard waste bags
Garden gloves
Grass seed
If you have a large lawn, a turf spreader will help distribute grass seed evenly, and quickly
Nitrogen-free fertilizer
a set of gardening tools laid out on a table
Image via Eco Warrior Princess on Unsplash
2. Make way for new blooms
Pruning is an important step for preparing your garden for spring and summer blossoms. The key to pruning is to start only after new growth has begun, and not beforehand. This way you avoid pruning anything still in hibernation.

Remove dead branches from shrubs, trees, and perennial foliage. Prune the spring bloomers, like hydrangeas, forsythias, rose bushes, and rhododendrons after initial flowering has begun. You can also thin and shape hedges after the first signs of new spring growth.

Materials:

Garden gloves
Yard waste bags
Pruning shears
Hedge trimmer
a raised garden bed in a backyard
Image via Mike McCune on Flickr
3. Build your own raised garden bed
Raised garden beds provide an easy and contained way to grow vegetables, herbs, and all sorts of plants during the warm months and they’re surprisingly easy to build. Make sure to do your research when planting a food garden, as some vegetables require more space and sunlight than others. Once you’ve got a vegetable garden growing, enjoy a nice picnic outside with some garden-fresh produce!

Materials:

Deck screws
Drill
Multiple 2 x 4s (depending on your size preference)
Measuring tape
Wide mesh hardware cloth
Protective gloves
Follow this simple DIY tutorial to make your vegetable garden bed in under an hour!

a cinder block turned into a planter pot with flowers inside
Image via Sarah from Redeux Style on Instagram
4. Decorate with colourful cinder block planters
Cinder blocks are easy to come by and can cost as low as $5 a piece at your local hardware store. They’re a great option for creating industrial looking planters that are weatherproof and succulent-friendly!

Materials:

Cinderblocks of multiple sizes
Painters tape
Rustoleum or Valspar spray paint
Simply tape off a section, using your paint to create geometric lines and spray a section with your paint colour of choice! Next, fill the planter with succulent-friendly soil and you’ve got yourself a beautiful custom planter.

hanging basket planters hung from a ceiling with rope

Image via Charlotte May on Pexels
5. Hang dome basket planters
Hanging baskets is an elegant way to display flowers, drape vines, and even grow your own herbs! It’s easy to DIY your own hanging baskets that look chic. Always plan ahead and make sure you have the supplies you need before starting your project!

Materials:

Three baskets of equal or descending size
Scissors
Rope or hemp
Potting soil
Herbs and flowers
U-hook x2
Thread some rope through the corner of the top basket to the second basket. Tie a double knot, and do this again for the other side. Continue threading each side of the baskets until all three are connected. Be sure to plan for enough room that your tallest plants will have space to grow!

With these projects complete, your garden will be ready to enjoy all summer long. Take advantage by setting up some lawn games for the whole family to enjoy, or have a picnic in your own backyard.