Getting The Yard Ready For Spring

Well, it looks like an early spring for us in Iowa.  There's been a couple of times this past week that I've had to pinch myself and not think that I'm in North Carolina.  Highs in the upper 70s and mid 80s in March?  In Iowa?  No way.

Of course with the onset of spring, Scott gets an itch to do something with the yard, so yesterday he spent the day dethatching the lawn.  It was kind of fun for me, because this year he had Greyson help him run the garden tractor while he mowed and vacuumed.

I kind of freaked out when I came home from making a run to the store and saw Greyson driving.  I have to constantly remind myself that he is 13 and a boy and should be learning all this stuff.  I'm just always afraid he's going to hurt himself, run over someone, or run into something.  I'm such a mom.  LOL!  But he did so good!  And he was really proud of himself...  Doing such a "manly" thing.  Its amazing how small things give children such pride in themselves.  I'm glad I didn't make him get off.  :)

Scott is kind of a freak about the yard.  Last year, he and a friend rented a compactor to try to compact all the bumps.  It kind of worked.  Now, its become a yearly thing to dethatch and vacuum.  Luckily, one of Scott's good friends owns a lawn care service and he lets us use his equipment.  Thanks, Ryne!

Dethatching is great for your lawn.  If you have tried seeding and fertilizing without results, you may want to try dethatching.  The thatch layer is the bottom layer of roots, crowns, and grass clippings that accumulates over time at the soil layer.  Some thatch is a good thing because it acts as an insulator and moisture retainer, but over time a deep layer of thatch can prevent grass from getting proper nutrients from rain and oxygen, which hurts its ability to fight off disease and dehydration.  We dethatch every spring, which gives the grass time to recover before summer.  You could also do it in the fall.

Its amazing the difference it makes.

Here, Scott is vacuuming up the thatch.
Look how green the grass looks!
All that was hidden under dead winter grass and leaves.

This is how our lawn looks in the summer...

Of course, a huge part of that is this great black, nutrient-rich Iowa soil, but we do fertilize and overseed in the Spring as well.

Since I actually walked away from the dining room for a little while yesterday, I was amazed at all the early signs of Spring we are seeing here.

My hosta are poking up...

My rose bush has fresh shoots...

And I even found a bunch of lady bugs!

Weirder and weirder.  It might actually feel like Easter on Easter this year.  I saw daffodils blooming in town yesterday and we usually don't see those until the end of April!

And of course, the kids are loving it...

Landon TOTALLY needs a haircut.

I'm really not even sure how Eva got up there.
Funnily enough, it was Scott, the tree guy,
that freaked out about her being up that high.  LOL!

And needless to say, they totally needed baths...

Eva's sporting a dirt uni-brow.  LOL!

It was a fantastic day.  And what better way to end it, than a beautiful sunset...

I am so glad Spring is finally here!  How bout you?  ;)