restraint

Here is what my backyard in western Wisconsin looked like on April 3rd. Our official total was seven inches of snow. This is precisely why I restrain myself from cleaning up dead garden foliage too early in the spring. Final frost dates in Zone 4a can be anywhere between April 30th to May 15th, depending on the trending weather. I typically delay my garden cleanup until late April. I like to wait until the shriveled up foliage can be easily lifted off the plants without any resistance at all; then the spring rainfall doesn't leave the dead leaves in a big soggy blob on top of the new growth.

This morning, at 13 degrees, it feels as though the nice weather will never come. Snow is in the forecast for this afternoon, tonight and tomorrow. As pretty as snow can be, enough already!