The birds are chirping, the green is coming back to the trees, and the flowers are starting to bud. Early spring means it’s time to start cleaning up the yard and plants around your house. Here are some things we recommend doing in March so your April and May planting season can down with a breeze:
Rake debris carefully off beds where bulbs are trying to push up through sodden leaves and such.
Target earliest bloomers for immediate cutbacks. Nudge them to push anew from the base with a severe end-of-winter haircut. Even later bloomers that grow from dense, cushion-like crowns will be easier to clean up now than once they start to push.
Cut back evergreen or otherwise-persistent perennial foliage. Yes, the plant will do just fine even if you leave it on, but many with early blooms are better viewed minus all the nasty old foliage.
Cut down ornamental grasses. Mice and other critters think it’s the Maternity Ward in there, so cut down the grass early.Â
Empty bird houses. Bluebirds and other types of birds won’t accept a dirty house (just like yourself). Wear some gloves and clean out those birdhouses to invite the birds back from their Mexico vacation.Â
Order bulk mulch from a local source for delivery—skipping all those plastic bags, and all that fuel used trucking bark chips across the nation. What makes good mulch, and how to use it.
These are just some of the things you can do for an early spring cleaning when it comes to your yard. We hope these tips help and that your yard will be all ready for spring and summer!