≈ The Aroma of Not-Quite-Spring Gardening Is in the Air! ≈  ≈

∞ Basic To Do List to get the Fun Started 😊 ∞

Before and After

We “spring forward,” pick up an hour at the end of the day, and all of a sudden we gain an entire season’s worth of gardening ambition. That one hour apparently releases a major endorphin rush along with plans of lush gardens, thriving flowers, and a lawn that looks like it belongs in a magazine instead of… well… my yard.

I mentioned in a blog last year that I garden, I’m not a gardener. There’s a difference. Gardeners know what they’re doing. I own a bunch of tools, a couple of shovels, no expectations and a spectacular amount of optimism. The goal is simple, have fun, let the hobby be the reward, and try not to actively make things worse.

Dwarf Nandina Firepower Shrub goes from green to red - color all year long

With the snow finally melting its way into the ground, we start with the annual Walkaround, the official inspection tour to assess winter’s handy work. The verdict? Not too bad. Two low shrubs didn’t make it. Apparently, spending a few weeks under an 8-foot snowdrift is not considered “protective shelter.”

Trees had shed pieces of themselves large and small and were strewn throughout the lawn and the gardens, and a butterfly bush was blown over in one of those howling breezes we got this winter. But it was down, not out. Roots still hanging on like a stubborn relative at Thanksgiving. The upside? It needed trimming anyway. And since it was already lying down, I didn’t need a ladder to do it. Which brings us to one of gardening’s most important rules:

The Older Gardener’s Rule: If you need a ladder to reach it, get someone else to reach it.

Anyway, I cut it back, stood it back up, tied it to a stake, and gave it a temporary soil fix until it’s warm enough for a proper replanting. That timing by the way is less about the bush and more about me. It’s still too cold to actually stick my hands in the dirt.

OK, The Walkaround

This early-season survey tells you what survived and what didn’t, and what’s pretending to be alive but is clearly negotiating an exit. Once that’s done, you can complete the List and start to actually do things.

August Beauty

The List (Because Wandering Around Is Not a Plan)

For me, every Spring begins with a List. Not a casual List. A serious List. The List includes the things I seriously planned to do last year, the things I seriously plan to do this year, and the things added after the Walkaround.

I need this List, and it has to be written. Not an app. Written. On paper. The List serves three purposes. It keeps me focused, it let’s me know at a glance what has to be done, and it delivers one of gardening’s greatest pleasures – the "cross off the List". That’s a feel good victory.

The List also refocuses me after I head out to cut back ornamental grasses and, on the way, notice fallen branches to clean which leads to straightening a wood pile and somehow ends with me cleaning stuff out of the shed. An hour later the grasses still stand proudly, waving in the breeze like they’re mocking me. But hey, the other things were on the List so... 💁 

Start the Season with New Shears

Things You Can Do Right Now 

The weather teases us this time of year. One warm day and suddenly we’re outside like bears coming out of hibernation, with shovels and pruning shears in hand, and hungry to garden. And honestly? Best time of the year. Fresh air, moving, working, accomplishing things that you can not only cross off, but appreciate for three full seasons. Those are the wins that aren't on the List. Fifteen minutes here. Half-hour there. And the feeling reminding us why we do it in the first place. 

Pre Spring Basic List

Clean Up the Garden Beds 

It’s easy. Clear away the debris - leaves, discarded tree parts, whatever is there that shouldn't be there and can be picked up and moved. Think of it as spring cleaning, but with more bending, lifting and carrying. It’s exercise and it counts.

Pull The Weeds

Get them now before they have time to get to know each other and get organized. Cutting them off at the pass will save a lot of work as summer moves in. No mercy. *See Dandelions below before you start pulling things.

Cut Back Perennials & Grasses

Those tall grasses that still look pretty, the cone flowers you left for the birds, the perennial flowers that you didn’t cut back last Fall that are still on the List? Time for their seasonal haircut.

Prune Small Decorative Trees & Shrubs (a/k/a don’t climb trees with a chain saw)

Trim anything dead, what’s live cut to shape them and to keep them under control, especially vines. It’s like editing, cut what doesn’t look right and hope the final version looks intentional. 

This is easy stuff, little mental focus required, and you’ll feel good when you step back and see what you've gotten done. Take your time. The purpose is to de-stress yourself not to put pressure on yourself. You don’t need to be a heroic weekender. Stay on speaking terms with your back.

Amethyst Falls Wisteria, attracts butterflies and hummingbirds

*Dandelions

Now, let’s talk about Dandelions. Yes, those cheerful little rebels that show up like clockwork. I leave them until they’re finished flowering. They’re really pretty. Bright yellow with incredibly intricate flowers. They’re as pretty as any other perennial flower. You'd buy them in a garden store. The flowers literally close up to tell you they're done and their seed is ready to go, pluck those off as they come, and when it's time, dig them up.

Enjoy them and also enjoy knowing that you’re helping nature, including your own garden. They’re one of the first food sources for bees and pollinators, which show up hungry long before the other flowers are even thinking about being flowers.

And, these weeds are edible! I actually saw them in the market. Salads, teas, and all sorts of things. You can pluck the leaves before you get to the root of the matter, pun intended... 😉 

(Paid for by the local Appreciate Dandelions Organization)

Fertilizer, a/k/a Food

They say you should test your soil, analyze nutrients, and scientifically optimize everything. That sounds… wonderful. I don’t do that. I do what I call “targeted support.” Based on the timing on the List I water individual plants and shrubs with a watering can spiked with the appropriate food. It’s simple, effective, and doesn’t require a degree in chemistry.

And So It Begins

There’s something about this time of year, being out in the fresh air, the sense that things are starting again. It’s hopeful. It’s full of warming sun, good intentions and unfinished lists.

Well, with the added pressure of hosting the College Crew at our not so Annual Big Chill Get Together this Spring, I should probably stop writing and actually go get started on my List. 

Please share your Pre-Spring Routine at thoughts@amtify.com or on any of our Social Media pages.

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