As your garden begins to throw off the cold blanket of winter, you will be tempted to begin working in your garden on those warm spring-like days. Here are some tips:

1. Wait until the soil is no longer saturated with water before walking into your garden beds. Stepping on extremely wet soil will compact and damage the soil structure. If you can easily dig in your beds with a spade, then your garden is ready. If the soil is difficult to work, then wait a few days before trying again.
     
2. On a warm, sunny day, carefully loosen or remove any mulch, leaves or debris from the base of your evergreens, shrubs, perennials and grasses. This allows air to circulate and reduces the possibility of disease and pests. Cut back any left over perennials, grasses and groundcovers to expose their crowns to the sun and to clean up the appearance of your beds.   
    
3. As temperatures begin to rise, examine your garden beds for early emerging weeds. Dig out the weeds now and reduce the amount of weeding required later in the season. Find out more about early emerging weeds. 
     
4. If you are already composting, turn your piles and distribute any well-decomposed compost onto your garden beds. If you don't compost yet, add a composter this year and create your own 'garden gold'. Learn more about composting.  
    
5. Prune any tree, evergreen or shrub branches broken or torn by the wet, heavy snow of our snowy winter.  
    
6. Breathe deeply...and enjoy Spring.

Reprinted from MODE Landscape Design Vol 1: Spring Garden Tips, March 2011

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