The first day of spring is just around the corner. All over America,
garden lovers are coming out of their metaphorical hibernation and
beginning to head back outside with that eternal optimism that this
year's garden will be an improvement over last year's!

The Vernal Equinox, to give this day its official title, falls on
March 20th, 2008, with day and night being of equal duration. There's
something about the first day of spring that lifts the spirits of
everyone. But those of us who spend a lot of time outdoors for work or
pleasure take particular delight in the official arrival of spring.

Even chores seem less chore-like. Just as preparing a meal is more
enjoyable than doing the dishes afterwards, spring garden tasks are
more fun than stowing away everything as the winter chill approaches.

Here are just a few items to put on your garden to-do list.


Clean up
Rain, frost and winter storms can cover your landscape with twigs,
small tree limbs and other debris. During those cold weeks, you didn't
feel motivated to go out there and pick up all those bits and pieces,
but now it's time. Patrol your land with a lawn and leaf bag to
collect the smaller bits and haul away the big pieces. Make this your
first task because, in addition to cleaning up your space, you will
discover any areas that might have become damaged over the winter and
will require some TLC.

Weeding
Soft moist soil makes weeding much easier and this time of year
usually provides those conditions. Look for weed seedlings that you
can remove before they mature. It might be tempting to add these
pulled weeds to your compost but resist the temptation. You'll simply
be creating a weed farm!

Compost
However, non-weed material can be added to compost. Many gardeners
like to start a new compost pile alongside last year's "mature" pile.
You can add leaves, grass clippings, vegetable peelings and even straw
and paper. As well as weeds, avoid adding any plant material that
appears to be diseased.

Pruning
There's a lot of fear and trepidation about pruning, particularly when
it comes to when and how much to prune. Pruning at the wrong time
might cause a shrub to not bloom that season, but is unlikely to be a
death sentence. Among the plants that can be pruned in early spring
while still dormant a Flowering Dogwood, Bradford Pear, Wisteria,
Red Bud, and Crape Myrtle.
If you are in doubt about pruning, I recommend a visit to this Web
site http://gardening.about.com/od/treess...TreeShrubs.htm
for a comprehensive "how and when" guide. You can also go to
gardening.about.com and simply search the phrase "When to prune."


Ornamental grasses
If you left your ornamental grasses untrimmed over winter, now is the
time to trim them back. Simply snipping away at them gives you quite a
lot of clean-up. To prevent this, gather together the stems in bundles
and wrap masking tape tightly around the mid-section. Lean the bundle
to one side and use shears or a hedge trimmer to cut the grasses back
to ground level. Take the bundles to your compost pile and snip off
the masking tape.

Preparing new beds
The ideal time to dig a new bed is in the fall. The soil is usually
drier and the warmth of late fall sunshine helps along any soil
amendments you added, working through the winter, ready for you to
plant in the spring
But it's still possible to start a new bed in the spring. Avoid this
task when the soil is wet and heavy. You'll find it is far easier once
the soil is drier.

As you can see, this is just a quick overview of early spring garden
needs. I'm happy to respond to any specific questions that you wish to
send me via e-mail. You can find literally hundreds of in-depth
articles at my Web site. You might also wish to visit a site hosted by
the National Gardening Association: http://garden.org/home where you
can type in your zip code for a report for your geographical region.


Spring fever... catch it!
The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs
and landscaping to and for resources and
additional information, or to subscribe to Steve's free e-mailed
newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org