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Several days ago I saw my first real groundhog of the spring. Excited, I gave chase but, alas, it was soon evident that he could run a lot faster than I could. I don't know why he ran. I just wanted to give him a hug because I really liked his idea of six more weeks of winter this year.

Yes, I'm old enough to remember the winter storm of March 19 to 21 in 1958. But now, armed with the long range forecast from weather.com I am prepared to make predictions for the winter now ending. Or perhaps give my views of what our gardens thought of it.

Temperatures were a bit below normal although, with no harsh runs to remember, that is hard to believe. Cooler winter temperatures always reduce insect populations. No wide swings in temperatures ever hinted to our plants that spring would be early. Often, when that happens, sudden drops can be tough on young trees, flower buds and tip growth.

Cold, dry wind also targets the substance of the last sentence. March is usually the terror month for wind, but so far so good. Moisture has been good, which also mitigates wind effects.

If you think there is nothing I can find to fault this winter for, you forgot about the ice. It brought down a few limbs and bent a few shrubs. Before I continue, let me remind you that native plants are used to our climate and generally survive what our seasons can dish out.

Broken limbs need to be removed. Some rough limb breaks may be slow to recover, invite disease and reduce the longevity of the tree. If you can achieve a smooth cut, healing will be quicker and more successful.

Most shrubs will recover from the necessary pruning to eliminate winter damage. A few shrubs/trees, including members of the pine family, seldom recover.

About eight years ago, a June wind severely twisted an ancient hickory tree near my house. It's size, location, the extent of the damage, and my budget left me feeling bad but with few other options. Remarkably, at least three large limbs eventually died and dropped to the ground. Today you must look carefully to really see the damage.

I'll end with several final thoughts on the subject of ice or snow damage. Every time you tip a limb you make it stiffer and less likely to bend successfully with a winter load. Plant trees and shrubs to fit the space you have and leave the shears in the shed as much as you can.

Several trips over a shrub with a hedger encourage growth that is tight, in addition to stiff. You create a plant with a roof. This will favor breakage rather than bending.

And remember, all trees are not created equal. Those that form tight crotches are much weaker than those with more widely angled branches. 45 degrees, or halfway between vertical and level, is probably the strongest branch configuration.

All in all it was a very favorable winter. Blame the groundhog? I don't know. He had his chance, so I won't try to thank him again.

The winter weather curse of the groundhog is about to expire. It's March. There is hope.

Establishing new lawns is one of those tasks best done early if that is on this spring's agenda. The best time to start grass seed is the fall. The next best time is as soon as the ground is fit in the spring.

If the budget permits, and mine won't, laying sod is a great path to a new yard. You can get an almost instant lawn and, with the availability of water, you have a much wider window on the calendar to work.

Most of us will resort to seeding. Before you get to the seed, think about pH, fertilizer and soil condition. Most grass thrives with a pH of near 6.5. That is an easy number to hit in this area. A soil test would be a good idea. If it's low, add lime and incorporate before planting.

Unfortunately, great lawns are heavy consumers of fertilizer. Again, let the soil test be your guide with fertilizer. A leveled, raked, rock and weed-free site is a prime consideration.

When you are ready to seed, think about seed selection. I use a not-too-distant seed store and usually go in equipped with the sun/shade and wet/dry description of the site. I return with a seed mix right for my conditions.

Usually it is best to get a seed mix. I will continue with a brief overview of the seeds typically found in seed mixes for our area.

I'm a big fan of perennial rye grass. It's stands up to foot traffic and heat. It usually germinates in less than a week and fills in well. Normally it comprises about 20% of a typical grass mix except for shady locations.

Kentucky bluegrass is another persistent and attractive lawn grass. It spreads well forming a dense mat. It also recovers well from weather stress. In a mix, it frequently is about one half. Over-seeding thin spots with perennial rye grass also works well.

Several drawbacks with bluegrass is that it does not like short mowing, is rather slow to germinate and is of quite variable quality and habit in the trade. That's a good reason to shop carefully.

There are a number of fine fescues for the shady sites and as part of a general mix. This component of a good mix is best in shade, low traffic areas and away from heavy moisture. Often it is about a third of a mix.

Seeding rates vary with the variety or mix selected. Herbicides need to be avoided.

Once the seed is on the ground, a very light raking followed by a light rolling is beneficial. The important word here is light and I admit I usually get good results skipping this step.

A very light mulch of straw will also hold moisture and speed germination. That's another step I usually forget without many problems.

Don't get in a hurry to mow a new seeding and set the mower a bit higher until the new planting is well established. Keep the blades sharp.

I had great success with some very late seeding last fall. Hope to do a bit more and fix up a few spots (where I was too late last fall) within several weeks.

About one hundred yards up a steep bank from one of the farm roads my pickup frequently travels sits a native white dogwood tree. It wasn't planted or pampered by humans. It just got lucky and put down roots in a spot favored by dogwoods.

The tree is on the west edge of a small patch of trees, an under-story tree that had crept out to grab a good supply of the sun's afternoon rays. Maybe it's nothing special or maybe its just like an old friend who has been very reliable and around for a long time.

As fall approached last year one could not miss its copious crop of red berries. I admired them for weeks. Driving past one late fall afternoon I saw that it was hosting a swarm of birds. I paused, but the light angle was rather poor and I couldn't make a positive feathered ID.

It was about a half hour until my curiosity got the best of me and I got my binoculars and returned. I scanned the tree, but did not spot a single bird. What I did see to my amazement was that they had missed but a single berry. In awe of the job they had done I was disappointed that I hadn't hurried back to identify this efficient crew.

Returning toward the house with the binoculars, I spied the birds again. This time they were cleaning the less spectacular crop of berries from the dogwoods in front of my house. They were robins. It was at least two weeks after I thought the last robin had headed south, a fact that led me to dismiss robins on my first sighting.

Happy to realize that my trees had fueled a late traveling band of robins for another leg of their migration I began to think about how man and birds share this land and how we can interact to help both species.

Quite honestly, my guess is that we get a lot more enjoyment from seeing them than they get from seeing us. Many of us put out feeders in the winter. A few feed all year. The birds really don't need this help but it is appreciated, especially on cold, snowy days when the bird's energy needs are up and the natural food supply is hidden. Our feeders are easy when the birds have urgent needs.

Taking it a step further, can you imagine a landscape without birds? That leads one to ponder the question as to whether we can make minor adjustments to our landscapes to favor and attract more birds.

To be successful, birds need food, shelter, water and a place to rear their young. On some of those points man isn't prone to help the birds. We want our lawns short and well trimmed. If we are in the woods we prize our large trees but frequently destroy the under-story. As a people we're too neat for most of the other critters on this earth.

For today, I'll put this to rest with the simple statement that birds and other critters like a bit of untidiness, maybe even minor landscape clutter. You have a choice. Is it your yard or will you share it?

Back more years than I can believe, when I had many acres of fruit trees, mid December was the time to assemble chainsaws, limb loppers and ladders and begin a pruning assault that often lasted into late April or early May.

To end my ramblings for the 2007 gardening season I will offer a brief calendar that you can hang with your pruning tools if you wish. Using the first paragraph as a lead I will start with fruit trees.

Apples, pears, grapes, sour cherries and blueberries should be dormant pruned. I started with the apples in December and tried to finish the grapes in March. If you have just a few of these I would attack in late February or early March.

Peaches, nectarines, sweet cherries and plums are much more bud tender and early pruning increases the risk of crop failure due to winter bud damage. Jokingly and seriously, the often offered rule of thumb is to work so that half of them are pruned before they bloom and half are done after bloom.

Christmas tree growers will tackle their short-needled evergreens in late winter hoping to be done before too much sap flows. That rule applies to all conifers except pines, which can be quickly identified by their long needles. Most, if not all, of the short needle conifers will tolerate severe pruning and will rejuvenate from even a vicious attack.

Pines are much more sensitive. Only the new growth as it matures in late May or June should be cut. Cutting pines into old wood, last years or older, seldom yields any rejuvenation.

Deciduous trees should be dormant pruned. If you are alive you can't help notice that the utility company's pruning crews are in full action. Many of you would deny that what they do is pruning, but in reality their message is; put appropriate sized trees and shrubs under the utility lines.

Flowering shrubs quickly fall into two categories. They either bloom in the spring or they bloom in the summer and fall.

If they bloom in the spring, they set buds the previous summer. Dormant pruning of spring bloomers will only remove flower buds. They should be pruned as the flowers fade, leaving time for regrowth and the formation of flowering buds for the next season.

Fall bloomers work off of new growth and are often a bit more winter tender than our spring bloomers. Prune them after you see the extent of winter twig damage. I think April into May are good dates to remember.

That's the calendar, so I'll close with a few more things I think about when I prune.

I try to do the job with as few cuts as possible. In other words, prune with your eyes and then get the loppers. Always remember, it is unwise to start with a plant that is too big for the spot and then fight to keep it under control.

Also, I have learned that if a plant is growing too fast, pruning in July or very early August can be a great taming tool. I regularly used that technique in the orchard. Less fertilizer and water will also slow the wild ones down.

Grudgingly, we can no longer deny that winter is near. My life is built around the flow of the seasons. For me it is time to rest, enjoy the season and plan for the spring. Hopefully, you can find time to do the same.