Cleaning out the garden.

I can't explain the excitement we felt when we noticed that the mulch had been delivered to our local garden center!  It had been a very long winter after all and we were more than ready to start cleaning out the gardens.  While the field is still blanketed with several inches of snow, there are sections of the yard that are beginning to show signs of green!  I find that it's much easier to clean out the garden before things really start to grow and get too tall.  At that point you risk breaking stalks and stems when removing leaves and other debris.  Start early if you can; you may have to work around the snow piles!

Get your tools ready.  My husband likes to shovel mulch with a snow shovel.  Perhaps he feels like he's getting back at winter!

Once I began to remove the leaves, the green inspired me to keep going!  I prefer to remove the leaves with my hands but you may prefer a small rake.  Just remember to work slowly while watching for new growth.  Treat yourself to a new pair of garden gloves this year!

 

 The field is still covered with snow. 

These poor daffodils were under some snow, thus the crooked shape.  They'll straighten out as they continue to reach for the sun.

The bird feeder in the garden was replenished many times this winter.  At one point, when the snow was so deep, we put the seed on a board on top of the snow.  It's important to give the birds fresh seed and to remove the winter seed residue from the garden.

Due to so many storms this past winter, the yard is covered with little sticks and branches. 

 We worked around the piles of snow.  Hopefully they'll be gone by this weekend!

 The azaleas suffered some damage from the heavy snow. 

 It's important to carefully remove any broken branches.

 More new growth...you need to be extra careful when stepping in the spring garden.

The iris will bloom in June.  Trim the old stalks and leaves away so the new growth will flourish.

 

A garden "reflection".

Flower pots can be a handy tool when working in the early garden.  I set them down over the new growth while I add new mulch in order to avoid damaging the new growth accidentally.  Once the mulch is spread I remove the pot.

The Shasta Daisy is a wonderful addition to your garden.  It's perfect in arrangements.  The plant will get quite large and may need to be divided.  You can share with a friend!

We "paint" the young apple tree with Bonide Pruning Sealer and Tree Wound Dressing.  It helps mend where the groundhog has begun to gnaw and will deter him from doing it again.

This is what a daffodil looks like that hasn't seen the sun!  Gently uncover it and in a couple of weeks it will be just fine.

 This particular part of the garden is beginning to look like spring is really here!

 The afternoon shadows begin to fall.

 Once these flowers bloom I'll plant them in the garden.  They'll return next year.

 I'll put pansies here as soon as the danger of frost has passed.

Pansies are a beautiful early flower for your garden.  Depending on where you live, it may be a little too soon to put pansies outside.  You can enjoy them on the windowsill in the meantime!  Your local garden center will have pansies in an assortment of colors.  So pretty as the sun sets behind them.