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Spirea are some of the toughest and most rewarding shrubs we have in our Minnesota landscapes. They are reliable, low-maintenance, and offer beautiful flowers and foliage. However, to keep them looking their best and prevent them from becoming overgrown, proper pruning is key.
The most common question we get is, "When is the best time to trim my spirea?" The answer depends entirely on one simple thing: when does it bloom?
Spirea are divided into two main groups, and their pruning schedules are completely different.
1. Spring-Blooming Spirea (Blooms on "Old Wood")
These are the classic, old-fashioned types with cascading branches that are covered in white flowers in the spring, often before the leaves are fully out.
When to Prune: The rule is the same as for lilacs: prune them immediately after they finish flowering in late spring.
Why: As the University of Minnesota Extension explains, these spirea form their flower buds on the wood that grew the previous year. If you prune them in the fall, winter, or early spring, you will cut off all the buds and get no flowers. A light trim right after blooming gives them the whole season to produce the wood that will carry next year's blooms.
2. Summer-Blooming Spirea (Blooms on "New Wood")
These are the most common types found in modern landscapes, known for their pink, red, or white flowers that appear in summer, often...
As the crisp autumn air arrives here in Northwest Minnesota, it’s tempting to think the lawn care season is over. The frantic growth of summer slows, and many homeowners believe they can save a little by skipping that final lawn application.
However, at Miller Yard Care, we want to let you in on a professional secret. We don't think of the fall treatment as the "last" application of the year. We consider it the first, and most important, application for next year's lawn.
This single treatment is what truly sets the stage for success. Based on decades of research from experts at Purdue University, the University of Minnesota Extension, and other leading institutions, this application performs three critical jobs that guarantee a healthier lawn next spring.
While the top growth of your grass is slowing down, the roots are working overtime. Fall is when cool-season grasses are actively storing energy and developing their root systems for winter.
Promotes Root Growth and Energy Storage: The specialized, slow-release fertilizer we use is designed to be absorbed by the plant and stored as energy reserves in the root system. This is the single most important factor for winter survival and a quick spring green-up. Instead of forcing vulnerable top growth, we are building a stronger foundation underground.
Improves Turf Density: A key benefit of fall fertilization,...
Here in the Detroit Lakes area, our lawns have worked hard all summer. They’ve endured heat, heavy foot traffic from backyard barbecues, and maybe even some dry spells. As we head into the final weeks of summer, many homeowners think about giving their lawn a break until spring.
But what if you could do more than just help your lawn recover? What if you could fundamentally rebuild it?
At Miller Yard Care, we offer an elite lawn renovation service that goes beyond simple seeding. Our philosophy is simple: a great lawn isn't just grown on top of the ground, it's built from the soil up. By combining the proven power of compost, aeration, and elite seed with cutting-edge soil science, we transform the very foundation of your lawn.
The first step in our process is top dressing the entire lawn with a thin, quarter-inch layer of rich, organic compost. This isn't fertilizer; it's something much more important. Experts from premier agricultural universities across the Midwest, including Purdue University Extension, emphasize that the main benefit of compost is its remarkable ability to improve soil structure.
Purdue experts explain that adding compost:
Improves Soil Structure: It binds with heavy clay or loose sandy soil, creating a perfect crumbly texture.2 This increases soil aeration and improves water-holding capacity, creating a better environment for...
Here in the Detroit Lakes area, our lawns have worked hard all summer. They’ve endured heat, heavy foot traffic from backyard barbecues, and maybe even some dry spells. As we head into the final weeks of summer, many homeowners think about giving their lawn a break until spring.
But what if we told you that the single most important thing you can do for a lush, green lawn next year happens right now?
According to turfgrass experts at leading Midwest universities, late summer is the "golden window" for aeration and overseeding. It’s the professional’s secret to lawn renovation, and today we’ll explain why.
First, let's talk about the foundation. At Miller Yard Care, we use an advanced aeration process. Our specialized machine uses vibrating steel tines to create deep channels into the soil. This action fractures and loosens compacted ground without pulling messy plugs to the surface, allowing your lawn’s root system to breathe.
Your lawn's roots can get choked out by two things over the summer: soil compaction and thatch buildup. As the University of Minnesota Extension notes, aeration solves these problems by creating pathways for air, water, and nutrients to get deep into the root zone. This encourages deeper, stronger root growth and a more resilient lawn.
Overseeding is exactly what it sounds like:...
We all love the look and smell of a freshly mowed lawn. It’s the centerpiece of a beautiful landscape. But have you ever noticed that sometimes, a day or two after mowing, the tips of your grass turn a little brown or frayed?
Many people blame the weather or a lack of water, but the real culprit is often hiding in plain sight: a dull mower blade.
At Miller Yard Care, we believe that the quality of our cut is just as important as the quality of our equipment. It’s why we take an extra step that most others don’t. Today, we want to pull back the curtain and show you why the sharpness of our mower blades is the secret to a truly healthy, vibrant lawn.
To understand the importance of a sharp blade, turfgrass experts at leading universities like Purdue University and the University of Minnesota Extension use a simple analogy: imagine surgery. A surgeon uses a sharp scalpel to make a clean incision that heals quickly. A dull blade is like trying to do the same job with a butter knife—it tears, shreds, and causes excessive damage.
Your grass is a living organism, and the same principle applies.
A sharp blade slices cleanly through the grass leaf, creating a tiny wound that the plant can seal and heal quickly.
A dull blade rips and tears the grass, leaving a large, ragged wound.
This single...
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