Another part of spring cleaning your gardens...I promise spring is coming.

            Here is another part of what to do in the spring in your gardens?  Spring will be here I promise. 
When Is the Best Time to Prune Shrubs?
 
There are different reasons to remove wood from shrubs. If we're talking about old, dead wood or wood recently damaged by winterkill, then the question is quite different in nature from when we're discussing healthy wood.
 
Yes, trees and shrubs can often profit from a bit of spring cleaning, too. Dead limbs and winterkill on branches should be pruned off. This is the easy part of pruning: Remember, you can't go wrong pruning off something that's already dead. And life and death are "color-coded" on trees and shrubs, just beneath their bark, with brown signaling death, green life. The key is determining where the brown ends and the green begins.
 
But when is the best time to prune shrubs, in terms of healthy wood? Here, the question is different, because you can go wrong with your timing. And while dead branches should always be removed, the necessity of pruning off live branches is often determined by one's eye for beauty on a small shrub (to give it a more aesthetically pleasing shape).
 
The question of the best time to prune flowering shrubs is the one that causes people more trepidation every spring since improper pruning will result in the loss of the blossoming displays to which we so look forward all winter long. To simplify, think of it this way:
01Shrubs that bloom in spring have to have their buds already in place, on old wood (last year's growth), so that they're ready to kick into action when the warm weather comes; if you prune these branches off, you lose the flowers.
02But shrubs that bloom later in the year don't need that head start, blooming instead on new wood (growth produced in the current season).
 
Group 1 above includes flowering shrubs such as:
■ Forsythia
■ Korean spice viburnum
■ Lilacs
 
Wait to prune such shrubs until after they have finished blooming.
 
Group 2 above includes flowering shrubs such as:
■ Butterfly bush
■ Rose of Sharon
■ Lavender
■ Bluebeard
■ Beautyberry
 
You can go ahead and prune such shrubs in late winter or early spring, if you wish, without fear of losing blooms.
 
Plant Care in Spring: What About the Mulch Covering Perennials?
 
Regarding any deep layer of mulch, you may have had covering your perennials during the winter, it is a good idea to monitor the situation to determine when to pull it away so that the perennials can come through unhindered. An exact date cannot be provided for when to remove the mulch protecting your perennials: You have to play it by ear, and when exactly you remove such mulch will, obviously, vary according to where you live. But if you've applied a deep layer of mulch, it will eventually need to be scraped away from the ground immediately under which your perennials lie, as otherwise, it may smother the perennials. The best approach, once the ground is starting to thaw, is to begin checking, in late winter or early spring, to see whether your perennials are pushing up. If they are, remove the mulch when it's warm out but replace it when the cold returns (until the cold stops returning altogether).
 
Plant Care in Spring: Dividing Perennials
 
Finally, some perennials can profit at times from being divided. Most perennials can be divided in spring, but there are some noteworthy exceptions
taken from https://www.thespruce.com/spring-cleaning-for-lawns-and-landscaping
till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa