3-21-09

Spring has sprung. I see things pushing up through the ground. This morning I was awoken by Robins and Woodpeckers....and my dog barking at the paper delivery. I've been busy preparing people for planting and there are a couple of things I'm seeing.

You should have all of your perennials cut down now. Sedum are already starting to pop up. Cutting off the old growth makes them look better but also gets more sunlight to the plant and helps them along. Some Iris are starting to emerge also. A few more warm sunny days and you may start to see bulbs coming up. Get the dead leaves out of the beds and maybe even rake up the lawn.

Leave the Lilac, Forsythia, Rhodendron and other early flowering shrubs alone. Soon the buds will pop open and you'll be seeing flowers.

Cut back summer flowering shrubs like Spirea and Potentilla. Leave Spirea Snowmound alone though. They flower earlier and cutting them now will remove flowers. You can also neaten up the Yews if you didn't do it in the fall. After the new growth comes you will be cutting them again.

Landscape maintenance is like laundry. You can wait till you have nothing to wear and spend a weekend washing clothes or you can do a load every now and then. You can wait till the yard looks awful and spend a weekend working in the yard or you can do a little here and there. I recommend people taking a walk around with a pair of pruners before you cut the lawn. 15 minutes here and there will make a big difference in the overall look of the yard and save you lots of trouble down the road.

Here's my disclaimer......These are my opinions. I believe I'm right. This is based on 20 plus years in the field doing it and learning something new every day. Take it all with a grain of salt.

Questions? Drop me a line at jerry@wisconsinseasons.com or call me at 414-778-0104. I'm out in the neighborhoods every day but Sunday. I can stop by.