This is a thirty year old potentilla bush that was four feet wide and three feet tall in the BEFORE picture. It was still completely dormant, so all of its stems were pruned back to about twelve inches in the AFTER picture where the plant is now one foot high and two feet wide. The severe pruning will encourage strong new growth and flowering. Jean Marie Modl
During these uncertain times, you can find comfort and relief in seasonal routines.
Canadian geese have returned to the Grand Marais Rec Park and they will tell you that green grass and other spring treats are available if you look carefully for them. There are tender green plants under the brown grass, tucked into the bushes and even under the piles of snow.
One spring, my tulip garden bed was buried under a large drift of snow. The snow drift became an insulating light-filled blanket and I discovered that the poor flowers were trying to grow under the snow. In Cook County, sometimes you have to actually shovel the snow off your garden beds in the spring.
Some other tasks for early spring:
Evaluate how your property is organized and consider using landscape structures to define areas of interest and purpose. As the snow melts away and catches the wind, the basic landscape structure of your property is revealed. This is a good time to consider different ways to structure your yard with pathways, patios, retaining walls, new garden beds, compost areas, and fences. Some of these hardscape projects can be organized and started now.
Rake leaves for compost and gather brush for a small fire before the snow disappears. A fire ban will be in place once the snow is gone and the fire ban will last until the new leaves open up on the trees and bushes.
Prune trees and bushes:
Trim trees and bushes that may have been damaged by the snowplow or the wind or some disease process.
Clear dead grass and brush out from under large shrubs, the lowest limbs of the evergreens, and from rocky areas to encourage air flow and new plant growth.
This is the best time to prune junipers, right before the new growth starts.
Yews can be trimmed throughout the summer.
Spireas and Potentilla bushes can be severely cut back as long as they are still dormant. Check for new growth in the deep center of the bush. If they have already started to grow, then just trim the bush for shape.
Our common flowering shrubs: lilacs, mock orange, and honeysuckle are best pruned later in the season, right after their flowering has ended. This allows new shoots plenty of time to develop the next season of blooms. So, be careful with any spring pruning on your flowering plants or you might lose this season’s flowers.
Get outside and enjoy this beautiful season of sunshine and new life.
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