As one of Calgary’s premier landscaping companies, we see a lot of lawns. We figure there are roughly three kinds of homeowners. First are those who, well, basically don’t do anything. Their lawns look terrible, and everybody in the neighborhood gives them the side-eye because they bring down property values. Second are the average homeowners, those who do enough to keep things looking reasonable, but likely don’t have time to do more than that. The third category is those who put in the work and, as a result, their home looks like it belongs on a magazine cover.

If you’re reading this, you probably care about the condition of your landscape to a degree. But maybe you’re not quite sure how to take it to the next level, or you want to do a few things to enhance its appearance without spending numerous hours outdoors. We get it. Keep reading, and we’ll share a few tips to help your lawn look better and be healthier.

How to Improve the Look of Your Landscaping

It’s important to mow your lawn, but it’s more important when it comes to how you mow. Begin by cutting 2 strips around the perimeter, then start cutting in straight lines that are perpendicular to the perimeter lines. After that, try to alter the pattern you mow in every other mowing sessions. When growing season hits, mow weekly and ideally remove up to ⅓ of the height of the grass.
If you want your lawn to look ideal, your lawnmower needs to be operating ideally. Every season, take the time to sharpen the mower blades. Also, before you begin for the season, change the oil in the mower and be sure to do that yearly. You’ll know the mower is operating at peak proficiency if you can easily mow wet grass and pick up clippings.
Want to make your lawn stand out from the others? Put in a little time edging your turf. When you create a distinctive edge, you’re creating a distinctive boundary between the lawn and flowerbeds or bushes. As a result, you achieve a look that avoids clutter and is nice and clean. You can use either a gas-powered edger or a weedeater, both will achieve the same end result. Also, make sure you edge after every other mowing.
This might sound like a bit of a no-brainer, but weeds aren’t much of an issue when you have a healthy lawn. Having said that, they can occasionally appear. When you see them, you can either pull them out by hand or use a selective herbicide. The risk you run by using a non-selective herbicide is that it can kill the grass that surrounds the weeds. While you’re mowing, keep an eye out for weeds and deal with them as soon as you see them.
Sometimes, moss can be a recurring annoyance, usually appearing in shady spots and areas where the soil isn’t encouraging healthy grass to grow. By pruning bushes and shrubbery, you can reduce shade and let in more sunlight. If you can’t remove the shade, think about removing the grass in that area and replacing it with plants that are shade tolerant. To kill moss, you can use liquid iron, but don’t let it drip onto hard surfaces since the stain is very tough to get rid of.