Clean up but don't plant out

Raking in some compost, Richard Tilley practices what he preaches

Hello gardeners!

During this early warm spell it gives us a chance to get out and clean up the debris left over from winter's ravages.

All the old dead annuals that were not pulled out in the fall should be cleaned out now. The ornamental grasses need to be cut down before they start growing and dead stems on perennials removed. Clean up the ground too and rake it.

If you have compost and dead vegetation etc. they can be worked into the ground. I do not recommend ivy or oak leaves as these take a long time to rot.

You can also fertilize the lawn, if you have one, with a suitable spring fertilizer possibly a combination fertilizer and weed killer.

Get everything ready for planting but do not start planting out tender plants yet. There is still plenty of time for the cold weather to come back with killer frosts.

I have daffodils blooming in the garden and that reminds me of another gardening tip. I strongly recommend removing the dead flowers from the plant. You want the growth energy to go back into the bulb to create next year's bloom not to produce seeds on the flower.