A little tender loving care in your yard now,will sprout a healthy spring landscape.

Here are five things to do now.

  1. Stop weeds

Tackle weeks now, before they being to sprout. Start by inspecting your lawn for trouble areas. Pull or dig out weeds by hand, cover bare spots with sod and spot treat brown areas for fungus.

This is also a great time to spread pre-emergent treatments like corn gluten. Pre-emergents stop weeds from germinating, which means that they cannot spread across your lawn.

  1. Last chance to trim

Until the end of February, you can prune most trees, perennials, and shrubs. And Valentines Day is the perfect time to trim your roses.

Here are a few plants to trim now:

  • Woody shrubs and perennials like lavender
  • Herbs like rosemary and oregano
  • Trees, especially fruit trees and crape myrtles
  • Shrubs, especially hedges and evergreens to shape
  • Roses and grape vines
  1. Clear out the old

Tidy up your lawn and garden to make space for spring growth. Cut back perennials, annuals and any ornamental grasses missed in fall. Remove dead stems, leaves and debris from lawn, borders and flowerbeds to eliminate the diseases and insects that harbor there.

  1. Prep the soil

The easiest way to bring nutrients into your soil is to give it a good turn. Turning the soil increases oxygen levels to deeper levels and protects against weeds. Especially seek out areas where the soil has been compacted.

As you are turning or plowing the soil, incorporate compost or well-rotted manure, especially to flowerbeds and tree beds.

  1. Plant or re-plant

A rose bush that has grown beyond its space needs to be divided. A shrub that gets too much sun needs to be relocated. And this is the perfect time of the year for both. Inspect your landscape for any perennials, roses, shrubs or trees that would benefit from relocation.

Now is also a good time to start planting. Planting early, allows plants to adjust to their environment before the stress of summer heat.

Consider planting these now:

  • Vegetables like spinach, onions, potatoes and broccoli which you can harvest before the heat of summer
  • Trees, shrubs and fruit trees
  • Herbs, like chives, parsley and thyme
  • Perennials like Turk’s Cap and Black Foot Daisy