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.

This is also a good time to take a look at the deciduous trees early in spring while they are still dormant. It's easy to see the branches that are crossing each other that can later cause problems. Just mark the branches that need to be pruned, but you will need to wait to cut most trees until they are growing again. There are exceptions to this rule, such as Japanese maples. They can have a few limbs pruned after growth begins emerging in spring, but severe pruning is best done when they're dormant. If a branch is dead on any tree, they can be cut anytime. Also if the tree is producing suckers at the base, it's easier to prune them off in early spring before they break the dormancy.

Don't cut any early spring blooming shrubs such as Azaleas and Rhododendrons or any shrubs that set their buds last year. If you prune those back now, there won't be any blooms for spring. Butterfly bushes can be severely pruned now and this will help keep them from getting large and lanky in summer. They bloom on new growth so it will not effect the buds.

As spring progresses, so can the types of chores. Soon the perennials will begin emerging from the soil and this is the time to dig and divide if needed. It will be much easier on the plant to do it early in the spring. Early spring is also the time to plant any shrubs and trees that are still dormant.

There are plenty of other spring time chores that can be done early, such as cleaning the bird houses and bird baths. The bird baths will need to be scrubbed and then refill them with fresh water. It's a good time to clean out all of the bird feeders as well. Let them dry thoroughly before refilling with seed. Early spring is also a good time to start saving nesting materials to make the job a little easier for our feathered friends as well. Don't put them out until the birds are ready to start building nests.

Early spring is also a good time to take care of the gardening tools. If you do container gardening, it's also a good time to take inventory of what you have and what you need to replace. Scrub the pots to get them ready for planting ahead of time, and that's another chore that won't have to be done later. Early spring is also a good time to put down fresh mulch as well. There are plenty of early chores that can be done. Now when spring really arrives, there won't be as much work and more time to enjoy it!