I am never in a rush to begin the garden’s hard labor, and there is plenty to be done. With several very mild days in late February, I’m happy to delay the hours of cleanup, excusing that overwintering insects must not be disturbed. Conveniently, I take the word of those who claim expertise in such matters, though I’m not such a good listener on other subjects.

The presumed deadline for chopping back perennials and grasses is mid-March, just as new growth begins that could be damaged in the cutting back process. As always, I will wait until this last moment, then get to work on two long, hard days. I work best with failure looming close by.

Some cleanup is easily accomplished by a quick grab and jerk of a handful of stems, while more care must be taken to avoid disturbing roots of others. But, an acre of garden cleanup is not quickly done. In any case, I’m in no rush, though I know it’s coming.

On this glorious afternoon, I’ve begun the first step of the plan to rework a part of the side garden. This was not a project that had to be done, but a year ago, the mostly overlooked area started to catch my eye. With more attention, I noticed a few things that weren’t working, and with a ‘Zig Zag’ redbud’s imminent arrival, this seemed a great spot for it if I could bring in a bit more sun.

So, with a ladder and pole saw, I removed an overhanging tulip poplar branch. A few panicled hydrangeas that were never going to contribute were chopped out, and a very tall ‘Stellar Pink’ dogwood that suffered in the shade was cut to the ground. Fortunately, with large branches falling here and there, little damage was done to neighboring plants. Now, I’ll wait for the garden center to stock up before figuring out what to plant to fill the open space. That’ll be the fun part.