Spring is the top time for landscaping and gardening. So, while you’re interested…have a good look around. Stand back and really look at the main areas that you see the most often.

As your gardens and landscaping grow in, they may need rebalancing from time to time. The little shrubs you planted may be tall and burly by now. Some kinds of perennials or ornamental grasses can take a lot of space over time. Maybe they need dividing? Others just sort of fade away. Deer damage may mean that certain plants just aren’t worth keeping. Some ornamental trees and evergreens get big and beautiful…others end up being not so great after a while.

Do you feel relaxed and happy when you look at a space? If yes, terrific, you’re on the right track! But if not, look harder. Are those huge shrubs overbearing and making you feel crushed? Maybe your munched daylilies and scraggly grasses are depressing. Perhaps some elements are just too big or too numerous, and others are too small or too few – this often happens a few years into a landscape.

The question to ask yourself is: does this element deserve the space it’s in? Do you like it? Is it beautiful, OK, or just sort of ‘Meh’? Wimpy, ugly, or deer-attacked means it’s got to go. Put your hand up to ‘block’ the spot to help you imagine, decide if it would look better without it, and remove as necessary. Very satisfying!

What next? Leave a little ‘empty’ space for now. It may fill in surprisingly well through the summer. Throw in a few annuals if you can’t stand a blank spot. This is a great chance to evaluate the shape and size, color, or texture you need for that spot…to better balance your landscape. Not sure? Take notes and pictures; then call a pro in August to get that professional eye, and line up some September tweaking. Things will look better in the meantime, and you can enjoy beauty and harmony, grasshopper.

Enjoy your spring!