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Guy Crosby collects plastic waste from farms and brings them to a landfill in New Hampshire, where they are compacted into a bale.

If you have hydrangea bushes in your landscape that flower in late summer or early fall, now is the time to cut them back so they'll produce their best blooms.

"When spring comes, it just feels like a new year, almost like a new chapter, a new beginning," says flower farmer Sarah Demars, who co-owns Four Blooms Farm with her husband. The couple's indoor growing operation has been producing tulips for months � and their outdoor tulips are just on the cusp of blooming.

It's spring, and bulbs will flower soon. Nourish and protect them now with simple techniques.

Last Friday marked the first of two "crossover" dates in the Vermont Legislature � the deadline for bills to either make it out of committee votes and continue, or die for the year. The second "crossover" deadline for bills including revenues or appropriations is this Friday.

“The access to fresh locally grown food is something that they’ll miss,� said a founder.

Certain types of tomatoes can be harvested and stored for months. Search your local garden center for these seeds and some other unique tomato plants this spring.

The USDA sent a letter to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets last week informing them that about $1.7 million that was supposed to go toward purchasing local food in schools and food shelves would be withheld. The programs won’t be able to continue without the federal funds.

It's springtime in some southern locales, where many vibrant flowering vines are in full bloom. New England can get in on the action by growing the annual varieties of these vines this spring and summer. Try the black-eyed Susan vine, mandevilla and more.

Just like the dormant bulbs underneath the snow, your garden senses are awakening! Take in a local garden and flower show to get inspired and excited for spring planting.