It's raining today and it is supposed to rain a lot. That rain can tell you something about your yard. Put up your umbrella and walk around the yard to see where the water puddles and stays for a while. These are the spots that are more prone to being wet on a regular basis. You can use this information when you plant this spring. If you are putting in plants that require good drainage, you now know where the wets spots are and you can avoid them. On the other hand, if you have plants that require more consistently moist soils, these are the spots to choose for those plants.

You may be ready for spring to come, but how about your tools? Did you put them away without cleaning them last fall? Do they need to be sharpened? Now is the time to get them ready. There is nothing worse than going out to work in the yard for the first time and finding that you have to stop and prepare your tools. So while winter is still here, head out to the tool shed and get those tools ready to go!

It seems like spring will never get here, but we know it will. You should be ready to cut back ornamental grasses. Usually late February into mid-March is a good time to do this. Cool season grasses will show growth first and will need attention first. With the good snow cover we have had this winter, many of the cool season grasses may emerge from the snow looking fairly good and may need relatively little cutting. Some of them however, may have been mashed down by the snow load and may need to be tidied up.

Warm season grasses will be slower to start growing, so you won't have to get cutting on them quite as early. When it is time cut them (just as new growth begins to peek out of the soil), cut them all the way to the ground and get rid of all the old growth.

If you need to know more about ornamental grasses, why not attend my class on that topic on February 25 from 7-9 p.m.? To register go to https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/?RegistrationID=2273. The cost is $7.00

With the recent warm spell, everyone is thinking about spring. Of course we know it is not here yet, but we have hope. The bad thing about the transition from winter to spring is the unpredictable weather. Were getting to the point in the season where thaws and unseasonably warm weather may start to "awaken" some of our plants.

This happens almost every year and gardeners start to worry if the tulips pop up a little earlier than expected. Try not to worry too much. Spring bulbs are tough. They normally bloom when the weather is iffy and they should not be harmed unless they actully flower and then a cold snap hits. If they come up and a layer of snow falls, the snow will just insulate them rather than harm them.