Spring is just around the corner. The view out your window may be gray and brown now but just beneath the surface of your garden your plants are waking up. Now is the time to prepare for the spring gardening season. There are many chores that need to be done now so you can enjoy your garden when the warm weather arrives.

Start by cleaning up and clearing away last year’s leaves and debris from your lawn and garden beds. Early to mid-March is the time to cut back any ornamental grasses, as well as your Liriope and any perennials that still have last year’s dead foliage (daylilies, coneflowers and Black-eyed Susans). If you notice any perennials that have been heaved out of the ground due to freeze-thaw cycles, gently push them back into the ground and tamp the soil around them.

Most roses appreciate a good pruning now, too. Consult a good rose book for the best methods to trim your type of rose since timing and methods vary widely with individual cultivars. Floribunda, hybrid tea, climbing, shrub and miniature roses all have different care guidelines.

Many trees and shrubs can be pruned in March. Fruit trees, evergreens, and many deciduous trees can all be trimmed and shaped now before new growth begins. Begin by making sure all your tools are clean and sharp. Armed with good hand pruners, loppers and a pruning saw, you can tackle all but the biggest of jobs. One of your best tools is a good pruning book that will give you specific techniques for trimming the plants in your yard.

March is also the time to do any necessary pruning on crape myrtles. Flowers are produced on new growth each year. Your crape myrtle will produce flowers without any pruning, although it will produce larger flowers and bloom more profusely if at least lightly pruned. Pruning in late winter or early spring will stimulate vigorous new growth as the temperatures warm up.

The practice of chopping off the tops of crape myrtles has become very commonplace. Many people believe that it is required to promote flowering, but this is not true. Light pruning is usually all that is needed. Please don’t whack the tops off your crape myrtles. When given an ideal location, these trees should be allowed to develop their natural form without heavy pruning. Consult a professional if you want to learn the best way to prune your crape myrtles. If careful consideration is given to the projected size of the mature plant, a variety can be found that will not outgrow its boundaries and can be allowed to display its graceful beauty with minimal pruning.

After a long winter all gardeners long for some colorful flowers to herald the coming of spring. March is a good time to plant pansies if you didn’t plant them last fall. You’ll be able to enjoy their cheerful blooms with those of your spring flowering bulbs and they thrive in cool weather. A light frost won’t slow them down at all. Just make sure to deadhead and fertilize them regularly and you’ll be rewarded with blossoms all spring.

March is also a good time to test your soil. You can test for soil pH (acidity or alkalinity) and the soil’s three main nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) with a simple do-it-yourself kit for less than $20.00. You can also get a more advanced soil test from several public and private laboratories. A soil test will allow you to apply the right kind of fertilizer for your soil’s needs and avoid over fertilization and the toxic runoff that is endangering the Chesapeake Bay.

Finally, now’s the time to weed and edge your beds and put down a fresh layer of mulch; but make sure that you don’t smother your plants. A total of 2-3 inches of mulch is sufficient and remember to keep mulch away from the trunks of your trees. Avoid putting mulch against the bark of your trees. The zone where the tree trunk meets the soil is where the tree gets oxygen-don’t suffocate your trees.

All these early spring chores may seem daunting but your hard work now will pay back big dividends in the months to come.

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