Time for lawn mower maintenance is now

▪ It’s time to check all of the lawn equipment. This will save time, money and possible injuries. To-do list items include changing the oil in the mower, checking the spark plug and getting the blade sharpened. Make sure the string trimmers, blowers and hedge trimmers are all working properly as well.

▪ While it’s still a bit early, go ahead and start buying summer annuals now.

▪ What’s blooming: bearded iris, dogwood, red bud, native azalea and azalea.

▪ Stop using the same old annual flowers in your landscape. Try some of the new varieties. These new introductions are robust, free flowering and disease resistant.

▪ Now is the time to start a compost pile.

▪ This year, grow some tomatoes. These summer vegetables are easy to grow. Grow them in containers or any location with well drained soil and full sun. Use disease resistant varieties for better results. Check the labels.

▪ While you’re busy growing those tomatoes, also try growing summer vegetables from seed. Squash, beans and cucumber are super easy to grow.

▪ Go exploring! April is a great month to visit garden centers and botanical gardens in our region.

This story was originally published April 4, 2017 at 8:55 AM with the headline "Time for lawn mower maintenance is now."