To all our friends and neighbors in the Hudson Valley area let me just say the entire crew at B & W Landscaping is as glad as you are to see the winter of 2010/2011 behind us. The temps. are rising, the sun is shining, and the birds are singing their songs once again. Just as the animals in the woods the human population is starting to come out of hibernation.

Since its time to venture outside into your yard and assess the damage from old man winter I felt I would offer a few tips to make restoring your lawn & landscape to its summer beauty a little easier.

* Clean up winter debris from grass areas such as twigs, branches, & late falling or leftover leaves.

* Cut any perennial plants or ornamental grasses that were not cut last fall.

* Trim any dead or badly damaged plant material from shrubs & ornamentals. This is also a good time to consider replacing any plants damaged beyond repair.

* Now is a good time to divide any perennial plants that you may want to spread to other areas of your landscape or even use to create new landscape areas. Keep your eyes open for my future planned blog on using perennials in your landscape.

* Thoroughly clean old mulch & debris from landscape beds and top dress with 2″ – 3″ of fresh mulch. Nothing does more to brighten up the appearance of a winter weary landscape than a fresh coat of mulch. Mulch also serves a very functional purpose as well. It deters weed growth and promotes water retention essential to plants during dry periods. A word of caution however, do not allow mulch to be built up around the base of trees or plants as this can promote insect damage.

* Last but not least now is also a good time to inspect your trees. Look for damaged or broken limbs especially over your house or outdoor use areas such as patios, decks, and pools. At B & W Landscaping we believe in safety first so tending to damaged trees may be something you should leave to trained professionals with the proper equipment. While in general B & W Landscaping doesn’t do tree work we do have excellent working relationships with several local reputable tree companies & arborists. We would gladly refer you to the right people to assist you in determining the best solution for your tree problems.

As always the trained and experienced staff at B & W Landscaping is available to handle any or all of your lawn & landscape needs. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at any time for a free no obligation consultation & estimate.