Landscaping Advice with Carson Arthur

If you think you know a lot about landscaping, it’s time to test your knowledge. In this episode of the Marc and Mandy Show, HGTV star and landscaping expert Carson Arthur answers landscaping and gardening questions from our viewers.

Q: When’s the right time to prune a shrub?

A: The general rule of thumb is, you never prune a shrub until after it’s bloomed. Once it blooms, you usually have a few weeks before that shrub begins to form new flower buds for the next season. If you’re unsure about when to prune, or your shrub doesn’t end up blooming, don’t prune it until all the leaves have fallen off. This will make it easier for the plant to recover after a heavy pruning.

Q: I’ve got patchy holes in my sod on my lawn … how do I fix this?

A: One easy solution to fix holes in sod is to invest in a bag of soil and a bag of grass seed. Take the soil and open up the top. Then, put the whole bag of grass seed into the soil. By mixing them together in the soil bag, you will cultivate seed to soil contact, which is what grass needs to grow. Take this mixture and fill the holes with it, water it well, and in 20 to 25 days, you’ll have new grass. TIP Carson recommends using an 18 kg bag of soil in conjunction with 2 to 5 kg bag of grass seed. 

Q: How do I make a perfect circle around my tree?

A: The key to creating a circle around your tree, is to go with a free form shape, rather than trying to make the circle perfectly uniformed. As the tree grows, its shape will indefinitely morph, and there really is no way to predict how the tree will grow. Carson recommends using a garden hole and laying it out around the tree in a free form shape, then digging within the parameters the hose creates.