SPRING IS NEAR AND WE ARE BUSY!
It's been a long, variable winter with a very mild January followed by a cold and snowy/icy February. March is sizing up to be variable, which is normal, but spring is near and we are quite busy finishing our winter work while also getting started with spring activities. Mowing has started but we are also focused on finishing our winter pruning and shrub bed care as well.

WET WEATHER MOWING
The warm weather in January had many lawns start to grow. However, the cold February slowed most to a stop. We are now beginning to mow as needed depending on weather but don’t want to get distracted as we have other winter priorities we want to finish up. We won’t mow on or right after rainy days to avoid damage from rutting. March is always a challenging month for mowing so it will be variable, based on weather. Weekly mowing will begin sometime in April.

REJUVENATION PRUNING CONTINUES
As we have been discussing all winter, there are likely some shrubs in your landscape that naturally grow larger than the location they are planted allows. In keeping them pruned to the appropriate height, many shrubs get out of hand and too big over time. To correct this, we recommend rejuvenation pruning to bring them back into size. This can sometimes be achieved by thinning pruning, but other times they need to be cut down to the ground and allowed to regrow at a shorter height and more naturally. The problem is that when we make the cutback, it looks like we killed the plants. However, they almost always grow back and look much better by the end of the season.

LATE SEASON LEAF DROP
Through the winter, we spend much time in cleaning up and removing all of the leaves and other organic debris in the shrub beds. Unfortunately, some trees including most oaks, still have yet to drop all of their leaves meaning this work will continue into the early spring. Part of this work is to just keep sites looking cosmetically clean, but it also is to prepare shrub beds for pre-emergent weed control application and rebarkdusting.

SHRUB BED REBARKDUSTING
We highly recommend rebarkdusting your site every other year. Bark dust decomposes and barkdust is a great moisture control and weed control agent, and makes your project look dramatically better when maintained on an every other year basis. However, it's appearance fades with time, as does its water saving and weed control properties.

SEASONAL COLOR MAINTENANCE
Most pansy plantings are doing quite well. Some of the credit of this is due to the mostly mild weather this winter, but our ongoing winter maintenance program helps ensure the heath of the plants regardless of the weather. Pansies are starting to grow again and the bloom will be spectacular over the next 2 months before it is time to change out to summer flowers.

IRRIGATION SYSTEM ACTIVATION SERVICE
As wet as it is outside now, irrigation season is only a month or two away. We have been busy for the last month and will continue through April to get our system serviced and ready for the irrigation season. We have started irrigating as early as April 1, but normally irrigation season start sometime in May. If you see the sprinklers on in the next month, it is likely because our staff is on site tuning up your system for the season.

SPRING MOSS CONTROL
We promote and, upon approval, perform moss control during the winter on most lawns we maintain. Moss is very aggressive due to our dark wet winters. Our amendment program is treating lawns in the winter, which we just are wrapping up, followed by again in the early spring, which will begin in April.

SOON YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ENJOY SPRING IN YOUR BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE
Winter has been busy and spring will be even more so. We're excited for the weather to improve as well as the plants to return to life and all the work that we've done this past winter to shine with beautiful landscapes in the spring and summer. We look forward to all our work to help you enjoy and appreciate your great landscape.