Spring is just around the corner for many of us and this is the perfect time to prepare your yard for spring.

iris @ Canberra Floriade
Creative Commons License photo credit: robynejay

What makes spring a perfect time for sprucing up the backyard, gardens and shrubs or trees? That spring feeling of energy and new growth and the fact that with your backyard area coming back alive it’s easier to see debris and evaluate your plants.

Start by raking your leaves and any dead grass. Add this to a compost bin so that you can create your own healthy compost for gardens. Small sticks can also be added, particularly if you can chop them up.

Trim any shrubs or trees and pull off the dead heads from any flowers or plants. While doing this take a good look at the property. You will see if you need to trim around any
Flowerbeds or gardens. Make sure they aren’t being overrun by grass.

Give the yard a fresh look by cleaning mulch in the yard. Remove the top layer or mulch, pull any weeds and put down a fresh coat or your favorite mulching material. I use pine needles, tree chips or leaves, depending on what area of the yard I am working on.

Mow the lawn if it is tall in some areas, but don’t cut it as short as you normally would in the summer. The first mowing is always my favorite. The smell of fresh cut grass and the bright green color makes the spring season special.

Clean up after any pets if you have them.

Till any gardens, move, redo or remove any garden area that you didn’t like. This is also the perfect time to prepare pots for new plants and flowers. Some plants may have to be potted indoors so they start out healthy before moving outside.

Patch any bare spots in the yard with grass seed. You may want to add slow release fertilizer and/or weed stopper to your yard. If there are big brown spots, consider doing a ground test and adding some nitrogen. Brown spots may also be a pet problem too.

Plant some spring flowers and add any window boxes. Window boxes can hold spring bulbs or early spring flowers.

Bulbs are the most versatile of spring flowers and will do as well in pots as the ground. I grow mine in pots now to protect them from small animals and so that I can bring them in or mover them around the patio or porch areas.

Clean and spruce up your porches, patio or entertainment areas. Bring out the lawn furniture and fire pit if you have one, and enjoy spring and the promise of summer that follows.

 

One reason why the perennial plant is sought after is because of its remarkable ability to survive year round through most weather conditions. Another reason is perennials save time and money.

My Favorite
Creative Commons License photo credit: Rowdy Rider

What is it about perennials that enables it’s winter survival abilities, whereas other plants will shrivel up and die as soon as the going get tough?

By understanding our plants in the backyard we can take better care of them and plan for further plants to add to our backyard oasis.

As with most things in the natural world, not all plants are created equal, however some biologists have succeeded in re-engineering annual and biennial plants to last longer.

Although stretching the life of a non-perennial would certainly make the plant and floral businesses flourish, marketing isn’t the only reason scientists and many others have this question. If we had vast amounts of plants that have medicinal and life saving properties, we could study their curing capabilities at an exponential rate. The longevity of the perennial plant is definitely an exciting curiosity for many people.

Withered, Weathered and Worn
Creative Commons License photo credit: prudencebrown121

Interestingly enough, the perennial plant is able to thrive year after year due to a few survival tricks it has up it’s sleeve. Trees and shrubs are a perfect example. These drop their leaves and protect their next year’s growth with waxy scales.

If you examine the bud of a perennial plant and you’ll see that it covered with a sticky looking waterproof wax. When the bud begins to bloom, it scars as its scales fall off and the distance between its scars are an indicator of how many times a year that perennial plant grows.

The perennial plant gears up for the winter by draining its own food supply from its leaves down inside its trunk, branches, and twigs. As the weather gets colder, the tissues of the perennial plant will slowly change and become cold resistant in a process called “hardening.”

During these changes, the chlorophyll of a perennial plant will decompose and lose its propensity to project a green hue – leaving the tree with its trademark red, yellow, orange, and brown autumn leaves.

At this time of year I am re-evaluating the backyard and plants. I plan to start several shrub seeds I have and work with perennials in the mini greenhouse. This will give me more shrubs and plants for the yard and a head start on changes for the backyard garden areas.

© 2011 Backyard Oasis Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha