MENUAt long last, spring has sprung! It seems as though it's been a long time coming. As anxious as you've been waiting for winter end, your yard probably fared much worse than you. After all, you could retreat inside away from the wind cold, snow and ice. Your yard didn't have that choice. It had to just endure what Mother Nature dished out.Your yard could now use some tender, loving care from you in the form of spring cleanup. Many tasks will be obvious but I offer these as a reminder and a check list:
• Start by testing the soil. If it feels soggy or you leave footprints in the lawn, you might want to give it another week or so to dry out before beginning your spring cleanup.• Pick up any litter that blew into your yard and was covered up by snow.• Rake up any leaves left from last fall or that blew into your yard over the winter.• After April showers taper off and the chance of frost is behind us, rake the mulch to the edges of your planting beds to let the soil dry out.• When the soil has dried out sufficiently, re-spread the mulch to its warm weather depth of 2 - 3 inches.• Clean out dead annuals, trim back dead branches on perennials and cut ornamental grasses back to a level just above the ground.• Stand up any toppled plants. Some may need to be dug up and replanted.• Repair any hardscape that suffered winter damage. This includes walks and patios, fences and furniture.• Buy or rent a pressure washer to get rid of any grime that has accumulated over the winter.As the weather warms, the soil dries out and the possibility of frost subsides, watch for blogs on such subjects as spring lawn care, cleaning and preparing water features for the season, and planting annuals.Photo Caption: After the grass is frost-free, leaves need raking here, one of the patio lights needs to be stood upright and the yucca plants need attention.
