This time of year, leaves get a lot of attention. First, we all enjoy the brilliant colors that fill the landscape as the nights get cooler. Later, we don't enjoy the tasks of cleaning them up as they drop on our lawns and fill the streets and gutters. So, what are we to do? Back when I was growing up, all we had was a rake. Now, you not only have rakes, but you also have blowers, blower/vacuums and shredders. Well, as it turns out, none of those are the best thing for you, your lawn, or the environment.

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How's everybody doing today? Anybody see any talking lions, scarecrows, tin men or flying monkeys?

Last night we got some wicked hail here in the Twin Cities - in Eagan, we got over 1" of rain and after the hail stopped, most of the ground was completely white. This morning, I still had a pile of hail on the deck that hadn't melted, yet. Today, it was time to clean up.

Check for impending danger!

If you have trees or overhead power lines near your property, make sure you start by looking up. There may still be branches that haven't fallen completely and could land on you, a family member or a neighbor. Or, a tree trunk may be split and it will only be a matter of time before it topples over. Clear the area of any potential danger before proceeding with any other clean up effort.

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Today I noticed our lilies are starting to sprout. These are lilies we received (yes, even florists and gardeners get plants and flower arrangements as gifts) and then planted around our yard.

Trivia question: When do Easter lilies bloom?

Well, that's a bit of a trick question! Normally, lilies will bloom in mid-summer. The lily plants you see blooming at Easter have been forced to bloom at that time by exposing them to 1,000 hours (42 days) of moist cold temperatures and then warming them up to 60 - 70 F, causing them to sprout and then bloom. Once they sprout, it is about 40 - 45 days before they bloom, at least in our yard here in Eagan MN (between USDA hardiness zones 4 and 5)

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Recently, I attended a seminar on planting for clean water presented by the Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District (Dakota County SWCD), Blue Thumb and the city of Eagan. Living in the Land of 10,000 Lakes and truly enjoying sitting on our deck looking out over a man-made pond each summer, we have a vested interest in how we plan and care for water management in our yards.

Just counting those with a surface area of an acre or more, there are about 200 natural lakes and wetlands in Eagan, and almost all are part of a stormwater drainage system. Adding in the man-made waterbodies, there are over 1,200. The stormwater management area shared with my neighbors "across the pond' is much smaller than that, but it supports quite a bit of wildlife. From the time the ice is out (nice and early this year) until it freezes over again in December, we watch for the returning ducks and mergansers to hatch new generations of their families, listen for the frogs to start their springtime serenades (a couple just started last night), and we smile when the turtles wake up and start sunning themselves on the big rock again.

You may not have a waterbody on your property like we do, but chances are, you enjoy time at a lake or on a river - Minnesota has the highest percentage of people vacationing in the state where they live. You've also got a roof over your heads, rain gutters and downspouts to divert water away from your foundation, a driveway, sidewalks and probably a little bit of lawn. Everyone of those contributes to runoff and adds to the stormwater management system. If we don't do a better job of restoring some of the native plantings that used to handle rainfall, more of our waterbodies will be turning green instead of blue.

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Typically, Minnesotans are not doing much yardwork during March, except for clearing snow off the driveways and sidewalks. Statistically speaking, March is not the snowiest month in Minnesota, but somehow we've awarded it that title. (Actually, January tops the chart for the highest average snowfall, but not by much). March is when we start to see the outdoors start to wake up, little by little - a few more minutes of sunlight every day, trees are sending out new growth and birds are starting to be more active, too.

Before we head outside for a much needed revival, there are a few things you can do to brighten up your house and home.

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