Spring is here, time to check out your yard!

This is the time of year to evaluate what winter damage has been done. Check all of your shrubs and perennials. Some plants may look dead, but give them time to rejuvenate with the warmer temperatures coming. Some are slow to come around after a long winter’s nap.

Is it a shrub or a bush? Some people think there is a distinct difference between the two. The distinction is usually something like bushes are OK, but shrubs are nasty, prickly critters that collect spiders, softballs and small dogs. It really does not matter what you call them, they are pretty much one and the same. There are literally hundreds of different shrubs that grow in our area. A shrub is a woody plant that is pretty low in height and has several stems from the base, it does not have a single trunk.

When purchasing bushes, consider those that are both beautiful and can survive a drought or the cold.
All shrubs have a lot of flowers or just ornamental leaves.

Send in your garden questions to The Hutchinson Leader, Christine Schlueter, 36 Washington Ave., Hutchinson, MN 55350 or e-mail classifieds@hutchinsonleader.com.

To read more, see the print edition of the Hutchinson Leader for Tuesday, May 13.