Have you ventured out to the garden yet? It’s about time you did. Take a look at what’s going on out there. You’ll probably notice you have a lot of cleanup to do. Even when you take the time in the fall to winterize the garden, there always seems to be a mess in spring.

Leaves, twigs and yard debris tend to blow in from all over. This morning’s stroll netted a candy bar wrapper, a rock salt bag and more leaves than I saw fall from the trees in the yard. Where did all these leaves come from? I know I raked, shredded and composted the leaves in the fall, didn’t I?

Everything is wet and heavy right now, even more than expected with all the precipitation that has occurred in this last part of winter. Bagging wet leaves is probably not the best method for removal at this stage in the game. Try throwing them into the compost pile if there is room. If not, now might be a good time to start a new compost pile strictly for yard waste.

Under all those leaves you might be surprised to find lots of green. Act quickly! Those are weeds. Pulling them now will eliminate so much heartache and work when the time comes to plant. There are a few common weeds that, despite my best efforts to get rid of, continue to sprout every spring.

Creeping buttercup is a low-growing, rosette-forming, spreading perennial. It is characterized by three-parted leaves and creeping horizontal stems called stolons that root at the nodes to form new rosettes. This species reproduces primarily by stolons, but can also reproduce by seeds. Because it spreads as it grows, creeping buttercup can rapidly form large patches. Removing it now before it has a chance to thrive will prevent it from taking over the garden.

No, that is not clover and you can search all you like, you will not find a four-leaf variety in there. Crown vetch is a perennial characterized by compound leaves made up of 11 or more small leaflets arranged in pairs with pinkish flowers resembling those of peas, beans, or clovers that are grouped into head-like clusters. Stems are long and trail along the ground, forming a tangled mass less than two-feet tall. Reproduction is by seeds. Crown vetch won’t flower until June so you can simply turn it over or chop it up with a hoe. It adds nitrogen to the soil so there is little need to remove.

Ground ivy is a perennial with creeping stems that sprawl over the soil surface, forming a thick mat and crowding out other plants. It is like a villain in a comic book. Ground ivy has a typical mint-like appearance, with square stems and two leaves at each node. It can be distinguished by its sprawling growth, kidney-shaped leaves that have scalloped edges and attach to stems by way of long leaf stalks. Purple-blue flowers in groups of two to six grow on short, upright stalks. The plant produces seeds, but the principal method of reproduction is vegetative by way of creeping stems.

Ground ivy might be one of my biggest challenges in the garden and yard. The only way to get rid of it completely is to remove the layer of soil that houses its root system. Herbicides will kill what you see above ground but, trust me, it will return. In the raised bed gardens it is not an issue because those beds contain nonnative soil that has never been inundated with this vicious little plant.

In Great Britain it is used as an acceptable ground cover. It has never gained popularity here because, like I said, it is a vicious little plant that is out to ruin my summer.