​Spring is almost here! You know what that means - a new growing season is upon us, and it's time to give your yard (and yourself) some love.

     After taking a day to care for yourself (maybe at the spa?), take care of your yard by removing leaves and debris that might have blown in to ensure healthy growth. You look good, and so should your yard! As you keep an eye out for the green to start growing once more, you might notice some areas just aren't as lively as they once were.  When the ground compacts, everything has a harder time taking root, and it may be in need of a deep-tissue massage (aerating).

     They say the grass is always greener on the other side, but I bet that's because they haven't heard of de-thatching. It's sometimes hard to spot the tight accumulation of organic debris just above the soil, hiding in the grass.  Power raking breaks up the thatch and, once removed, your lawn can grow thicker and greener, making you the envy of the neighborhood. Don't forget to fertilize your lawn, either - it's like vitamins for the grass, and you can see the difference. Then buy yourself some chocolate, because why not?

     Weeds and spam mail have one thing in common: nobody likes them. Unsubscribe from weeds by investing in pre- and post-emergent care.  Less stress for you and your yard! (Keep in mind that with pre- and post-emergent care, different products are designed for different circumstances - make sure you invest in the right stuff.)
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     Finally, Valentine's Day is fast approaching.  Buy or make your loved ones something special for the special occasion, and don't forget it can be as simple as a phone call to remind them what they mean to you.  It's important to care for your yard, but it's important to take care of yourself, too.

     If you have any questions, or would like any help with your lawn care, feel free to keep us in mind!

     We couldn’t be more excited that we are actually getting rain this month!  We know it’s been a long time so for those of you who forgot what rain is, it’s the wet stuff that falls from the sky.  Rain can help the yard in ways that your average watering just can’t compare to.  You’ve probably noticed that since the rain, the lawn may look greener, the bedding plants have grown faster, and the weeds have taken off in size and numbers.  That is because the rain contains nitrates that are 100% natural and since the nitrates are already dissolved, they have an amazing effect on your yard.  That will influence this months’ checklist…
 >Weeds are everywhere!
Plants love a good rainfall; unfortunately, so do weeds.  It’s only after a good week or so of rain that you notice how much weed seed you really had just waiting to get wet and germinate.  Not only weed seed, but also unwanted grass seed that you didn’t even know you had in your beds and gravel.  Usually at this point, hand weeding is not an option anymore (unless you’re lucky and it’s not too bad).  It’s time to consider chemical applications to get those weeds under control. 
> Get another burst of flowers
Make sure to keep up with the deadheading.  The rain helps jumpstart flowers and encourages new blooms to appear.  Check for and remove spent flowers to allow new blooms, which may continue to appear well into September. 
 >What should be pruned?
This month you can relax a bit on the pruning.  We are experiencing temperatures that most trees definitely don’t like to be trimmed in.  However, some flowering shrubs may be ready to trim.  For example, Spanish Brooms and Forsythia should be done blooming those vibrant yellow flowers, so now would be the time to remove branches with spent flowers and add some shape to the shrub (never prune them before or during flowering).  Pruning on other shrubs should be restricted to  crossing branches, unsightly stragglers and deadwood.