A patchy, sunlit grassy yard with shadows from nearby trees and evergreen branches in the foreground. Houses and a sidewalk are visible in the background.

Like a receding glacier, Winter withered and melted, leaving behind a scarred and battered landscape.  Its tenuous grasp was loosening, and its legacy becoming more apparent, but March would surely deliver us unto Spring.

A speckled glass jar with a black lid hangs from a metal handle in front of a weathered wooden fence with a rusty hinge; greenery is visible in the background.

Spring officially arrives March 19th, and Winter will be nothing more than a distant, contemptuous memory. Within a mere week, Spring will be knocking on our proverbial doors, which ultimately means it’s time to get busy in our yards and gardens. First and foremost, Spring Clean Ups:

A person in a green shirt rakes dry leaves into a pile near a large red trash bin in a sunny yard, with bushes and trees in the background. A leaf blower sits on the ground nearby.

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:

Two men raking dry leaves in a yard on a sunny day. One man holds a rake and stands by a red bin, while the other man rakes leaves into a pile. Leaf blower on ground. Bushes and trees in background.

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, like salt damage, snow mold, etc.

A close-up of a pale yellow daffodil in bloom, with green leaves and a blurred background.

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! It’s one of the most important first steps you and your landscape can make.


Plant of the Week

White flower with five petals and a yellow center, surrounded by green leaves and a closed bud in the background.

Meadow Anemone

Native groundcover produces upward facing, bright white flowers that bloom amongst attractive green foliage April- June.  Prefers sun to partial shade, and moist, well-drained soil.  Grows 18-24″ tall and 24-36″ wide.  Attracts pollinators.  Deer and rabbit resistant.

“March, when days are getting long,

Let thy growing hours be strong

To set right some wintry wrong.”

-Caroline May

Best wishes,

Kim Sweeney