We finally had some spring weather in our neck of the woods this weekend, which drew us out of our cocoon for the inevitable: yard work. Over the long and windy winter, tree branches and twigs had fallen, landing on the plush covering of leaves that had never been fully raked before the early snowfall. Grass had worn down to mud in some parts of the lawn. And the lilac bushes, lank and limby, looked like some sort of alien octopus.
We broke out hoes, rakes, clippers and shovels and started making sense out of our property. And now, instead of looking like the forlorn house at the top of the street, our yard beckons: Welcome!
If spring fever hasn’t nipped at you of late, hopefully you’ll catch it soon. Take a look at your property from a newcomer’s perspective. Does it look inviting, or does it send a clear message that nobody gives a darn? If you were storing antiques or other ancestral keepsakes, would you go to the self-storage site that looked overgrown and muddy, or would you prefer to sign a contract at the facility with a white-picket fence and daffodils?
The upcoming July issue of Inside Self-Storage expends many pages to inspire managers to break out the landscaping equipment, mow the lawn and plant a bush or two, along with some annual show of colorful flowers. It takes a little money, a tad of muscle and a few hours to bring a property to beautiful, but it’s worth it in spades.
Need motivating? Ezine Articles is overflowing with great landscaping ideas. Plus, our very own ISS website is teeming with landscape-maintenance checklists and pointers for beautifying your site. To get you started, Donna May will get your site up to snuff, inside and out, with her article “Making Maintenance Work.”
Andrew Fawcett gives tips to “Keep Your Site Looking Bright.”
And Pat Terry will guide you to put your “Best Foot Forward.”
Got some spring cleanup ideas to share? Leave a comment below!