An hour pilfered, an hour pocketed,

a dream cut short, a disrupted docket.

An evening persisted, a late rising sun,

a dismal start to a dark Monday morn.

An hour pilfered, an hour lost,

shelved away ’til the Autumn frost.

Longer days and curtailed nights,

welcomes all the Spring delights.

An hour pilfered, and hour gone,

A late sunset, and an early dawn.

Warming weather and lots of rain,

Will waken our lawns and gardens again.

(An original poem by Kim Sweeney)

March 15th – April 15th is the ideal time to seed lawns – a window of opportunity, if you will.  This may seem a bit counter intuitive, considering our frost-free date is generally mid-May, but consider these important facts:  Kentucky Bluegrass takes about a month to germinate and an additional 6-8 weeks to establish.  So, if you do the math, a lawn seeded in April will not be fully established until late June, early July.  Bluegrass is generally blended with fescue and/or perennial ryegrass, each with their own attributes.  These augmented seeds are sometimes referred to as “nurse” seeds.  It is thought they help protect and aid in Bluegrass’s success.  Generally speaking, fescue does better in the shade and perennial ryegrass provides quicker cover.

Salt damaged lawns and plants usually appear brown, burnt, and dead close to driveways, walkways and roads where salt is generally used.  Melting snow and Spring rains help dilute the salt, making reseeding/overseeding possible, but plants will have to be replaced.  If Spring rains are slow to materialize or just plain sparse, it is sometimes recommended to flood the affected areas with fresh water from a hose in hopes of lowering the salt content of the soil.  There are no preventative measures for salt damage other than stopping its use altogether.

So, if you’re thinking of seeding, overseeding or reseeding your lawn, act now and contact Sweeney’s today!  You’ll want to be sure to confirm your place on the schedule and take advantage of this wonderful window of opportunity.  Don’t you and your lawn deserve it?

Plant of the Week

Sea Thrift

Balls of lavender-pink flowers bloom atop dainty stems April – June amongst graceful clumps of grass-like foliage.  Prefers full sun and dry soil.  Grows 8-12″ tall and 12-18″ wide.  Attracts butterflies and is salt tolerant.

“Pull back the frosty veil of Winter to reveal the virginal face of Spring.”

-Kim Sweeney

Best wishes,

Kim Sweeney