Landscaping and Gardening - Spring Projects

Officially Spring has arrived, but I don’t think anyone has told Mother Nature yet.  Apparently she hasn’t come out of hibernation from the frigid winter months.  It’s still really cold here in the Midwest states with morning temperatures in the 30’s.  The days are overcast and dreary.  I want Spring! 

I want warm weather, birds chirping, spring flowers and mulch, bags and bags of mulch!  I’m ready to put on my gardening gloves and start digging in the dirt.  I know that spring has arrived the first time I smell freshly cut grass.  Did you know that our sense of smell is connected really well to our memory?  The smell of freshly cut grass reminds me of the summer I turned 13 and I begged my dad to let me cut the grass.  Our yard wasn’t that big but the backyard was a hill.  When he finally gave in and let me do it I was ecstatic!  However after one time doing it and realizing it was not fun, I couldn’t hand over the lawnmower to my brother fast enough.  To this day I’ll get out in the yard for hours and spread out 50 smelly bags of mulch, but I still hate to cut the grass.  That’s why I had kids!

Anyway, like I said, there is nothing that puts me in a better mood than being outside on a warm day landscaping my yard.  I love seeing the spring flowers bloom and watching my yard come to life.  However, if you’re looking at your flower beds and not seeing any beautiful flowers sprouting up then you must not have planted your bulbs in the fall.  If you want to enjoy your spring flowers in the spring then you have to remember to plant your bulbs in late September to early November.   It’s so easy and you’ll be glad you did, but don’t worry if you didn’t.  A quick trip to your local plant nursery and you’ll have everything you need to make your yard beautiful.

Two very important things that I always have to have when I’m outside doing any type of landscaping, mulch spreading or flower planting is; a good pair of utility gloves and a good pair of waterproof boots.   Carhartt makes a great pair of women’s (and men’s) utility gloves that I can’t live without.  They’re waterproof so my hands stay nice and dry and they’ve got a leather grip so my hands don’t slide when I’m working with a shovel or rake.  Between the mud and the mulch boots are a must with me.  I don’t know how many pairs of tennis shoes I’ve ruined while putting down mulch.  Carhartt boots are ideal for working outside in any weather.  Red Wing and Irish Setter also make excellent boots for outdoor work.

So this Spring get outside and get your hands dirty! Have fun landscaping and gardening in your yard. No matter how big or small your yard is a few flowers here and there and before you know it, your yard is beautiful!