March is here and this month is known for very unpredictable weather here in Maine.  One day, your lawn and gardens can be covered with several inches of unexpected snow and then, a couple of days later, temperatures can warm up enough for flower and leaf buds to start to come to life.  Still, there are several early Spring tasks that we can do to get a jump start on getting your property ready for summer.  Pruning: Remove burlap from trees and shrubs as the weather warms.  Prune away winter-killed branches to make room for new growth.  Any branches damaged by snow and ice can be pruned back to live wood.  Make sure your pruners are very sharp be careful to make clean cuts that do not tear the bark.  Summer flowering shrubs can be pruned to promote better blooms, but don’t prune too aggressively on spring flowing shrubs like Forsythia and Rhododendron or you will remove this year’s flower buds.  Remove old, woody canes from roses to promote new growth.  Look for an up coming blog post about pruning Hydrangeas, a topic I am asked about very often.   Transplanting: Early Spring is the time to transplant and divide perennials...