Yard Preparation in Early Spring

Today is one of those days that is unpredictable and I am unsure as to what to wear. There has been a morning of furious snowflakes whipping around in the wind which has now turned to determined rain. Patches of snow and ice are remembrances from which we came dotting the roadways and yards. Birds are tenacious in their feeding on the seeds I have scattered haphazardly on the decking boards. February has begun and Groundhog Day is tomorrow. Will he see his shadow? Will spring ever come? These are questions flitting around in my head on this fine winter day.

What comes to mind are the wonderful flowers that just poke their heads through all the yardwaste and compacted snow of the season just passing. Seeing the predicted weather of sunshine over the next few days brings to mind the preparation needed in the yard. The trees are waiting for their first buds of spring and the peonies begin poking their soon to be red stalks up through the leaves and debris left behind from the fall. I am chomping at the bit to rake away the protecting covering that has hidden all of these jewels from sight over the winter months. In my mind's eye I can see the jazzy orange of the tulips, the piercing greens of the grasses and new leaves, the brilliant yellows of the daffodils, tulips, baskets of gold, and narcissus that line the walkways and paths of my garden. That first crocus is just laying there out of sight for a burst of sunlight to warm the now dormant, thawing ground. Always the first to brave the elements in my yard, they dazzle the eye with their hues of purple, white, and blue. I can feel the blanket of green that surrounds me in spring even though at present all there is to see is the white, brown and dull navy blue color of the winter encased mountains. My soul longs for the beginning of the new life and the refreshing colors that springtime brings. I feel as if I am suspended underground much like the crocus just biding my time to spring forth in the blazing sunshine for my day of glory!

As soon as the weather is a little more stablized, I like to get out there and prune any fruit trees that need thinning or shaping. This is a good time to prune before the buds form and really start to grow. Cutting out the inside random growth opens up the trees to the light and makes it easier to harvest any fruit later.

Next is raking away the winter mulch that you put down in the fall. We use leaves and straw so raking it away from new growth is necessary to cut down any mold or mildew growth that can harm plants. However, in the northern most part of the states like we are it is wise to keep a lighter mulch in and around the tender plants in case of a spring frost. I might use a clean, unused bale of straw to lightly place around the most sensitive plants and protect them from unexpected extremes. This makes the yard really clean and ready to plant.

If you have roses, you can prune them as well. Sometimes the stem will look like it frosted over the cold winter so you can cut back any that look dead or injured and prune away any stray shoots that aren't of the main stalk that may have grown during the warmer fall months. This gives the plant more strength and a healthy start in the spring.

Spring being the rainy season is the perfect time to plant trees and shrubs because they stay moist. Think about where you could benefit from shade of a tree or where there are bare spots that need a little spot of greenery say from a flowering shrub. Transplanting is also an option during this time if you have young shoots from lilacs, forsythia, or other hardy shrubs.

There are some flowering annuals that like the cooler temperatures of spring such as pansies, alyssum, poppies, primroses, and violas. If they wintered over, clip them and clean them up. Purchase these hardy plants and place them where you can see their brilliant colors first thing in the spring.

This is a great time to divide overgrown perennials such as iris, peonies, daylilies or other tuber type plants. They are easy to dig up this time of year and should pull apart fairly easy. These plants often need dividing every three years or so and the moist soil and warm spring sun give them a great start.

One of the things about spring cleaning is that the weeds are small and can be pulled out easily so you get a good start on controlling them before the summer season hits. It is also a wonderful time to add mulch like bark or beef up the soil with fertilizers or peat moss. This helps retain water during the hot months to come.

This is a good time of year to prune back the dormant raspberries. First take out all the weak shoots and canes that have branches. These are the canes that provided the crop last year. They typically are gray in color and won't be green when you scratch the stem. Thin to clusters about one foot to 16 inches apart. Cut the canes clear to the ground and clip away any stubble that sticks up.

Next decide which canes are strong and have the buds for the next crop. Thin out the ones that are skinny or don't look healthy. You are then ready to bind them to the trellis so they are secure and can encourage the growth where you want it. I like to use string because is disintegrates rather than plastic or wire. Some people make a V shape placing the canes along two wires that run parallel. Others cluster three canes together and tie to the wire for support. You can clip the tops only slightly so that you can reach them, but don't cut off too much or you won't have a very large crop.

I found the following video below helpful in determining which canes to keep.