your best yard yet

As every homeowner knows, spring waits for no one. Procrastinate your mulching or planting for one too many warm weekends, and the once-barren winter landscape changes to a thicket of fresh foliage. “Always work a season ahead,” advises horticulturist Gail Read, who has spent decades tending the public gardens at Blithewold Mansion in Bristol, Rhode Island. “The prep work done in spring sets us up for a successful summer.” So dig in and clear away dried leaves, prune out winter damage, and bring in fresh compost and plants, ideally before weed seeds catch on that there’s bare ground to spare. Acting early is the difference between enjoying the seasonal rituals of planting, weeding, and deadheading—and falling behind and making the whole thing feel like drudgery.

So do a walk-through of your yard and look carefully at the plantings. Check on last year’s transplants and pinpoint problem areas. If you’re unsure whether a tree or shrub survived the winter, gently scrape away a little outer bark with your thumbnail to reveal a layer of either green (live tissue) or brown