Spring is on the way and, if you’re like me, you can hardly wait for the warmer temperatures and longer days. Even with my excitement for the changing season, I’m surprised each year when I’m suddenly surrounded by daffodils and a long list of things I should have done weeks earlier. (Does ‘spring cleaning’ ring a bell?!) There are plenty of things to work on as spring approaches. Here are a couple of time-sensitive landscaping suggestions that can save you a lot of work if you get them done early.

 

I love being in a garden, but I’m not a gardener. I’m more of a tough-love landscaper. As in “I love you plant, but if you’re expecting high maintenance, tough.” My lawn is definitely in that category, and a few years ago my definition of lawn was anything that looked green until fall. That changed when I discovered pre-emergent herbicide, which keeps pesky weeds from sprouting. Simply apply it to your lawn like fertilizer and it suppresses weed growth for 90 days. Since weeds start growing in March, if you hit your lawn now and again in May, you’ll be amazed by how weed- and crabgrass-free your yard stays all summer. Taking the time to now to tend to your yard will guarantee less work and more enjoyment over the summer months.

 

The other task to tackle now is pruning. Don’t be shy with the shears, a little shaping now makes for a prettier, healthier plant and stimulates more blooms later. Most trees and shrubs respond well to early spring pruning, but make sure you do a little homework for flowering shrubs. Generally, if your plant blooms on new growth, prune it now before it wakes up in the spring; if you have a plant that blooms on old growth, wait to prune it until after it blooms.