It's February and spring is just a few short weeks a way. As you walk briskly from car to house, or pop your head out on those oddly warm days that bring nothing but gratitude, you may notice through the cold, or the pink cloud, your yard is a bit out of control. It is time for that first so-called "spring clean up". Winter winds, rain and a bit of snow has sent us all either indoors or off to Florida and it's also sent sticks, twigs, limbs and leaves all over your yard, across the grass and in the garden beds. You may not even be able to get up the driveway without hitting something that's fallen from the trees.

It's clearly time to get your maintenance guys (hopefully, that's Callahan and Associates) out to your house to clear away winters debris. But beyond the aesthetics of welcoming the warming sun with a beautiful yard, the dust and dirt of winter has caused some damage that needs to be addressed, before everything gets its green. If you don't that green will quickly be tainted with the yellow and brown of disease and death.

Now is the time, this week, today, to get out there, get us out there, Callahan and Associates, to asses your garden and find what has survived winter and what hasn't. If it doesn't happen now, it won't be a game of hide and seek, the dead from winter will be the rotten apple that ruins the whole bunch. Outside of that garden those leaves that waited to long to fall, that the wind found and brought to your lawn, in corners and coves, those leaves are quietly killing your grass. Piles of untouched leaves are adding a bit of immediacy to that early spring clean up. The consequence of neglect, unfortunately will be big bare spots, plots of mud where green should beam.

Back to the garden bed those ornamental grasses need to get cut back. The new growth of spring won't have it's timely entrance without out a little trim. And that winter burn will bring a tattered look to those vested beds. All the mulch in the world won't hide those tired, unmaintained grasses. Did some one say mulch? Of course we did, there is nothing better to bring your yard into spring then a freshly mulched bed.

But once we've got a good coating of mulch setting off the bed, February is surely a time to fertilize those shrubs and that newly debris free yard. As the snow melts in those shady few spots and that ground remains a bit moist, the dampness of the ground will bring the fertilizer right into the root zones. Callahan and Associates, of course, can take care of all your early spring needs and help you plan your gardens year.Give John a call 443. 375. 6524 and get us to your yard just in time. That's what we've got for you this week on John's Blog. Check Back and Check often for timely tips for your garden. Think of Fountains and think of us, make an appointment today with John Callahan today, 443. 375. 6524 for your spring clean up and year long landscape plans.