Affable February pirouetted in on cloying assurances and saccharine ambitions.  She was poised to ensure March’s arrival would be gentle, like a lamb, but instead, she nurtured the beast, and took her final bow in a puddle.  Hello March.

 

It would appear the old adage may be true this year – “in like a lion, out like a lamb”.  I would have bet March’s entry would’ve been rather docile, based on the Winter we’ve experienced thus far, but alas, no.  At least, Spring, true Spring, will grace our lives and landscapes in exactly 19 days, and that means it’s time to get busy.  First and foremost, Spring Clean Ups.

 

Spring Clean Ups position our yards and gardens to exploit the best of Spring’s warmer temperatures and rain fall.  Essentially, a clean up allows us to put our best foot forward by:

  • Raking and cleaning out accumulated leaves and debris.
  • Pulling dead annuals and cutting back dead perennial stalks and ornamental grasses.
  • Pruning any dead, diseased, weak or crossing branches, except for Spring-blooming plants, like Forsythia & Lilac.  They should not be pruned until after they’ve bloomed.
  • Edging or re-edging bed edges and tree rings.
  • Adding mulch to beds and tree rings.
  • Assessing and addressing lawn issues.

 

The weather will, undoubtedly, swing from one extreme to the other, but make no mistake, Spring is just a stone’s throw away.  Reach out to Sweeney’s and schedule your Spring Clean Up today!

Plant of the Week

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Lamb’s Ear

Velvety soft, silvery-green foliage is reminiscent of a lamb’s ear.  Prefers sun and dry soil.  Grows 12-18″ tall and 24-36″ wide.  Works well as a groundcover or border plant.  Great addition to a child’s garden or sensory garden.  Drought tolerant.  Deer and rabbit resistant.

“Springtime is the land awakening.  The March winds are the morning yawn.”

-Sue Loudermilk

Best wishes,

Kim Sweeney