A Wrap on Spring Cleanup: Clearing, Tending, and Preparing the Gardens for a New Growing Season
The GreenSpace Team in action with spring garden cleanup.
Getting Started, Safely
We began the 2025 season on April 10 with glee, anticipation, and reminders about safety. A fully stocked first-aid kit is always with us in the pick-up truck and work van.
For “extra credit,” we learned how to check the oil in the van.
It’s All About Timing for Spring Garden Cleanup
The timing for doing spring clean-ups is a balancing act. We make sure soil is dry enough so our footprints don’t compact our clients’ lawns. And we wait to remove leaves with a light touch of a wire rake to avoid disturbing perennials that are beginning to sprout.
One job we can always do in early spring is to take apart the decorative arrangements we created last fall!
We’re always on the look-out for our wildlife friends. Here, a woolly bear caterpillar (Isabella tiger moth—Pyrrharctia isabella) makes its way toward a clay pot in a client’s yard.
Native Garden Cleanup Without Feeling the Burn
By pruning and digging non-native plants, our work is an alternative to a controlled burn in this native plant garden.
This is year 14 for Green Space to tend this native plant garden whose focal point is this magnificent old Bur oak tree (Quercus macrocarpa).
Spring Cleaning Feels Good Inside AND Out!
Spring is a good time to prune stalks from perennials and to remove dead branches from shrubs while shaping them. As we remove last year’s stalks and overgrowth, we see the results stacking up.
We literally did a load of good work today!
From native plant gardens to urban oases, we love the variety of locations, tasks, plant types, tools, and challenges inherent in all of our work. We wrap up spring cleaning with the satisfaction that comes from tending gardens well and the anticipation of new designs and growth to come!
To Clean or Not To Clean? Spring Cleanup & Spring Beauty
How far should we go in spring cleaning our gardens? The answer to this question varies between gardens and the personal taste of the gardener!
The GreenSpace team using a light touch during spring garden clean-up.
How far should we go in spring cleaning our gardens? The answer to this question varies between gardens and the personal taste of the gardener!
If one asks Nature, a light touch is best. Leaving dry leaves and stem debris in the spring garden provides protection for our pollinators including the 70% of bees that nest in the ground. The genius behind this method is that leaving the organic material in place also helps the health of our soils long-term and, in the short-term, saves time and energy so you can enjoy other spring activities!
More information about the benefits of minimal spring garden cleanup:
https://xerces.org/blog/dont-spring-into-garden-cleanup-too-soon