Spring has sprung and that means spring cleaning.

Sam Geleynse, owner of Vita Nova Landscape in Kelowna, said it害羞草研究所檚 the perfect time to take spring cleaning outside.

害羞草研究所淩ight now is a huge opportunity before the shrubs and trees break out into leaf. You害羞草研究所檝e got a bit of a window here where you can be more aggressive with your pruning, so it害羞草研究所檚 a good chance to get shrubs that have maybe grown out of control over the years back under control.害羞草研究所�

Geleynse said it害羞草研究所檚 important to get the old leaves off your lawn so it can start to dry out from the winter.

If you want a luscious lawn, the landscaping expert said there are two key things to do, aeration and detatching. Aeration allows moisture to get down to the roots of the grass, while dethatching removes winter build-up and promotes new growth.

Geleynse said he害羞草研究所檚 keeping a close eye on drought conditions, noting the Okanagan has had a number of very dry years.

害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e actually about three years into some pretty significant drought, it害羞草研究所檚 been a recurring thing,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淩ight now, we害羞草研究所檝e got a lower-than-normal snowpack which doesn害羞草研究所檛 bode well for the extra moisture we typically get down here during the spring melts.害羞草研究所�

Geleynse commented that the consistent drought along with the cold snap seen in January is going to pose a challenge for crops, specifying lavender and roses as two plants that are more susceptible to the weather.

Despite the dry weather, there are a number of plants that will still thrive in your garden.

害羞草研究所淭he more that we can move in the direction of having stuff that is drought tolerant or low water usage the better the chance it has of surviving our climate, which seems to be getting drier all the time.害羞草研究所�

Geleynse made a point of saying that drought-tolerant doesn害羞草研究所檛 have to mean boring. He said there are lots of plants that are full of colour and don害羞草研究所檛 require nearly as much water as others, and even edible varieties that can delight the taste buds.

offers a large plant database in which Geleynse said one can find all the ins and outs they need to grow plants in the valley.

Landscaping for the first time and not sure where to start?

Geleynse害羞草研究所檚 advice is to start with cleaning up your outdoor space and remove all the dead branches and leaves to give yourself a fresh canvas.

害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檝e got a really unique opportunity here in the Okanagan. I think we害羞草研究所檝e got just about the longest landscape season we have anywhere in Canada, except for maybe down by the coast.害羞草研究所� Geleynse said. 害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e really fortunate to have a long growing season, we have a warm climate overall, and so we害羞草研究所檝e really got a unique opportunity to create some absolutely stunning outdoor spaces. My encouragement to everybody is to not only go out there and get their hands dirty and try to do something in their space themselves, there害羞草研究所檚 a lot that can be done and it doesn害羞草研究所檛 have to be complicated, it doesn害羞草研究所檛 have to be some kind of crazy tens of thousands of dollars project, it can be something like little changes in your yard that make it come back to life.害羞草研究所�

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