A couple weeks ago I was getting ready to do a post on landscaping and I saw Elaine Reese's post.  The landscaping in her piece was so beautiful, it made me a little depressed when I looked outside; you see the above pictures are just what my surroundings look like at the moment.

In the Mid Hudson Valley the winters can be brutal and take a toll on the landscaping.  As you can see, after the winter the lawn is not in the greatest shape.  Hopefully in the autumn you fertilized or sowed grass seed.  Yes, here in this part of the country we use seed more often than sod.  The sanding and shovelling of the roads and driveways also contribute to the damage done to the lawn.  Each spring one of my first tasks is to rake out the gravel from the lawn,; this you need to do before patching bare spots.  I then move on to picking up all the broken branches, and as you will notice from the picture some trees do not completely shed all their leaves before winter.  So in the spring, depending on the type of trees in your yard, you might have to rake up leaves.

This is also a great time to check your trees for broken limbs, and some time you will find a tree or two which should be removed.  I don't know about the other market places, but this can be an expensive proposition.

The garden beds will also need attention.  It is customary to leave some leaves on the garden bed to insulate the perennials, but come spring time this has to be removed.

So now that all the clean up has been done, you can then bring in soil for the garden if needed, and add fertilizer; I personally prefer organic stuff.  The final step is to add mulch.

Now that spring is here, we are very eager to add some color back into our lives.  So you will find us at the garden centers checking out the new items.  The thing to remember is that it is wise not to put your plants in until Memorial weekend.  This does not mean you will not have any flowers; the perennials will start blooming.  The trick to gardening is to plant items that bloom at different stages; this will ensure you will have flowers all season.

The other items to look at are the porches and decks, besides a good scrubbing you might need to stain or paint.  Then make sure the house is power washed and the windows cleaned.

Yes doing this will add to your curb appeal.  I feel better when the yard looks good but it will mean more money in your pocket if your house is on the market.

For Help with your Mid Hudson Valley real estate contact Jennifer Fivelsdal