Spring Chores You Can Do Early

Gardeners start getting impatient long before spring officially arrives and can't wait to start planting. Even when it's way too early for that, there are outdoor chores to start as soon as the weather permits.

Early spring is that time of year when the days are warming up enough to get spring fever, but the ground is still too cold for planting. The early spring chores also depend on how many things were left unfinished in the fall! I know that will mean lots of chores in my own yard just waiting for the first warm days of early spring. This is the time to get the spring chores out of way that aren't so much fun. Then there will be more time in spring for the plants and flowers, and you know . . . the fun stuff!

One of the first early spring chores to get accomplished is cutting back dormant plants that need it. For my own yard, this will involve cutting back all the perennials in my borders that I left standing for winter. I leave my perennial and annual flowers just as they were in fall and let them go to seed. The beds may not look as tidy all winter, but I prefer to leave them in case the birds want to eat any of the seeds. So early spring is the time to cut back any dead foliage from all of the perennials before any new foliage begins to emerge. Whatever stalks or leaves are left need to be cut to almost ground level.

Early spring is also the time to cut back the dead foliage from any ornamental grasses. This will be much more difficult if you wait until the new grass foliage is emerging and mingling with the dead leaves. This includes the popular Liriope and Mondo grasses sometimes called "monkey grass." Cutting back ornamental grasses are chores easily accomplished with a pair of manual grass shears or scissors, if the plants are small enough. The taller grasses can be cut back to about six inches tall and the small grasses to about three inches. This is a chore that is best not forgotten, as I found out the hard way one year with my Liriope. I forgot to cut back the dead foliage and the new leaves were already emerging. It was really difficult to cut the brown foliage without damaging the new green shoots.