Early Spring Newsletter April 2010

Spring Cleaning

By Sharon A. Shaw

There is no greater feeling than opening up the windows of your home to let in the warm spring air. Spring cleaning is a wonderful way to freshen a home and invite the outside in, but the yard can also benefit from a good seasonal clean-up.

Heavy winter snow, ice and wind, as we experienced this year, can damage trees and shrubs. Pruning removes these broken branches while improving the shape and controlling the size of the plant. Debris such as leaves twigs and the remains of last years’ flowers should be removed from the garden and a fresh layer of mulch applied. Mulch not only looks great, it also helps to discourage weed growth, retains moisture and may improve soil over time. Growing plants also need proper nutrition to produce lush foliage and colorful blooms.

Plants will benefit from regular mulching and fertilization, but what many people don’t realize is that too much of a good thing can be harmful. Mulch build-up can smother perennials, allow pest and disease to damage trees and deplete soil nutrients, while over fertilization can damage tender roots and buds. Professional landscape maintenance is not just a matter of convenience, the knowledge and experience of a trained landscaper can be crucial to the health and appearance of your garden.

Patios and walkways may also need spring maintenance. A fresh application of sand will stabilize the joints between stones and discourage weed growth there. Cleaning and sealing is also available to brighten and protect pavers. It is important to inspect these hardscape areas for damaged and loose stones before outdoor entertaining begins. During this inspection, check landscape lighting systems for damaged fixtures and dead light bulbs. It is not just a matter of beauty and safety, each dead bulb actually increases the stress on the system and reduces the lifespan of the remaining bulbs.

Once the danger of severe freeze is past, Pansies can be planted to add instant color to landscape beds. If you grow your own vegetables, now is the time to start the seeds of many summer varieties and to plant certain cool season plants outdoors.

We offer all this spring maintenance and mulching to get your own garden and landscape ready for the big show! Give us a call to get on the schedule early; 215-550-5730 in Bucks County or 610-990-6610 on the Main Line

Favorite Recipe:

Dirt Cake

Ingredients

• Plastic container (Ex; Small pot, toy dumptruck) – Wash with soapy water and rinse thoroughly before using.

• (1) package of Oreo cookies (16 ounces)

• (12) ounces of cream cheese, room temperature

• (6) tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

• (4) packages (3.9oz ea) instant chocolate pudding

• (4) 3/4 cups milk

• (1) 16 oz carton frozen whipped topping, thawed

• gummy worms, fruits or faux flowers

(optional; trowel, gloves, toy trucks farm animals…)

Place Oreo cookies in a food processor bowl. Process until mixture resembles coarse dirt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and butter, stir until creamy. Set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk together the instant-pudding mixes and milk, stir until well blended. Using a rubber spatula, fold pudding mixture into cream-cheese mixture. Fold in whipped cream.

In a plastic flowerpot container alternate layers of cookie "dirt" and pudding mixture, starting and ending with cookie "dirt." Chill at least 4 hours or overnight.

Decorate with accessories as desired

Looks like dirt, but tastes great

Seasonal Tasks

Prune for health and shape of plants.

Clean up debris and mulch bed areas.

Fertilize plants.

Check for damaged or loose pavers.

Replenish sand into hardscape joints, clean and seal pavers.

Replace burnt-out bulbs in landscape lighting systems.

Call us to do your spring maintenace, instead!

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