Take advantage of the quiet weeks before spring’s arrival to prepare your garden for the season’s vibrancy and the warmth that can invite garden ailments.

Leaf Clean-Up: Clear out dead plant material now to avert decay and disease as temperatures rise.

Bed Prep: Early spring is prime for edging and mulching your beds, setting the stage for later additions.

Size Reduction: Trim woody plants between late March and mid-April. They’re primed with winter nutrients for a growth spurt, and timely pruning means they won’t stay bare for long. Delaying might leave them looking bare until next year and risk unsightly sucker growth.

Contributed by Sean Kramer

(Hanselman Landscape plant sculptor)

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