Spring officially kicks off on March 20th in the northern hemisphere. This is a season that many people look forward to for the warmer weather and to begin planting a new round of flowers and crops. Most gardens that require seeds and cold sensitive plants need to be planted after the threat of frost has passed. Typically, when this occurs, there are certain signs that gardeners can look for before planting their favorite seeds.
One of the initial signs of spring in most areas of the country is shrubs or bushes that flower and provide a colorful bud. Examples include the forsythia bush. This decorative bush blooms for a short period of time in early April. After the bright yellow bloom appears for roughly two weeks, the flowering buds are replaced by greenery. The lilac bush is also another early bloomer. Although the bush generally doesn't bloom until May, it signifies the onset of planting in the garden. The pussy willow is a bush-like tree that generates soft and fuzzy buds that feel similar to fur. This bush often signifies spring in many areas of the U.S. When shrubs, small trees and bushes begin to bud and bloom, the flower garden or vegetable garden can begin to be tilled or turned over for the approaching late spring and early summer season. Among the flowering shrubs, look for the Robin in most northern regions during the latter weeks of March and first weeks of April.
Bulbs signify that spring has sprung in most locations. Bulbs can begin to develop flowers as early as early as February in most zone 5 or colder regions of the U.S. There is no reason to worry about mowing over pretty bulbs because they bloom before the grass is ready to be mowed. Bulbs that signify spring has arrived include tulips, crocus, daffodil, hyacinth and paperwhites. There are hundreds of colors and varieties of bulbs and most should be planted in the fall for spring blooming. Once the foliage has died back, the garden area can be weeded and worked over to make room for blooming annuals.
Once the grass in the yard has begun to turn green---this is an indication that spring has sprung. This is generally a good time to roll your lawn in preparation for cutting. Rolling the lawn will smooth out any bumps caused by light erosion, moles or tire tracks. This is also a good time to treat your yard with fertilizer in preparation for cutting. Once the grass has reached around 3 inches or slightly higher, you can begin the first cut. Be sure to add your early grass clipping to your compost pile to later transfer to your garden soil to incorporate into your beds. The first cut may take place up to two weeks before you can begin to plant seeds and fragile seedlings.