Living like a local: Spring has sprung

Mar 21, 2023 • 4 min. read | By Karen Bright

Warmer weather and longer days signal the start of spring, and thus the time for planting and yardwork. (Stock photo/Pexels)

 

“Spring has sprung

The grass has riz

I wonder where

The birdies is”

 

This resplendent piece of writing is a poem I learned from a family friend as a child and have never forgotten. This may explain my love of literature. Whatever academics have to say about this work, it is appropriate for the glorious end of winter. As we all know, this means the weather is warming up and we can get started on our spring planting! 

 

Our winter may be mild here in coastal North Carolina, but it is still a time when our grass turns brown, trees lose their leaves and flowers die. The first thing we do to get ready for spring is to get our yard in beautiful shape. My house may not be on the route for the Cape Fear Garden Club’s Azalea Garden Tour, but we still like to be able to show it off.  There are a few chores that must be done before the planting begins. At our house, we (and by “we,” I definitely do not mean me) have to rake up any errant branches in the yard. These blow down at the slightest sign of wind. The yard has to be mowed for a clean start and the flowerbeds have to be raked out. Once these chores have been completed, it is time for planting flowers!

 

I am a local to this community and have been for over 20 years, so believe me when I tell you it is much better to skip the corporations and hit up the small local nurseries. For our family, this always means Lewis Nursery and Farms. They have beautiful greenhouses with a large selection of plants and flowers. Their strawberry fields are famous in this area. It is so fun to grab a bucket and take to the fields to pick your own strawberries. If you are looking for something to do with your kids or grandkids, this is a great option. When you go to check out and pay for your strawberries and flowers, do not forget to try out their renowned ice cream! This is a must. 

 

The final step of spring yard maintenance is spreading mulch. We like to have our mulch delivered all at once in one big pile. For this service, we call American Property Experts. They are a locally owned company, which is a point in their favor. They also do not plant trees just to chop them down for mulch. All of their mulch is repurposed from yard debris and trees that fell in a hurricane or a homeowner had to have removed. The tree removal companies, landscapers and even the city of Wilmington need a place to discard their debris. This debris gets dropped at an American Property Experts location and they separate the little twigs, branches and leaves from the bigger and higher quality wood. They use all the small debris to make wood chips, and the larger pieces of wood are transformed into mulch. This is all organic and local. Even the dye they use for the mulch is organic, so you aren’t leaking any harmfulchemicals into the ground. 

 

Once this fine mulch is delivered, or you pick up a load in your own truck, it’s time to distribute it around the yard. I recommend a wheelbarrow or cart of some kind for this. This will make the job easier.

 

Getting your yard ready may be hard work, but it’s worth it. Spring is a marvelous time of year. There is nowhere I would rather spend it than in our Port City!