As tempting as it can be to get back out into your garden, your resident pollinators will be grateful if you wait for warmer temperatures. Once the temperature has been consistently over 50 degrees for the past five days, it is okay for you to get your hands dirty and get out there to clean up your gardens. Below you will find some tips for ecologically beneficial garden spruce-ups.
Cleaning Up
You can start by cutting down any dead grass and flower stalks from last year. It is recommended that you cut your plants four inches above its crown (the living part under the dead stalks.) If you would like, you can leave some stalks standing, or cut them to a height of 12 to 18 inches so that they can be used by bees for housing.
Next, you can start to gently clean up the leaf litter you so responsibly left in place last fall. Please do not use a leaf blower! It is helpful to leave a thin layer of leaves so as to enrich the soil and suppress the growth of weeds.
Look Out for Signs of Helpful Insects
As you clear out your beds, keep an eye out for any signs of bird or insect nests or butterfly chrysalises. Leave them be so that they can mature at their own rate.
It is possible that the stalks you left up from last year are being used by bees for housing or to lay cocoons. If that is the case, you will see the stalks plugged with either mud or plant material. It is best to leave them in place.
Start a Brush Pile
Any stalks you cut down, as well as some leaf litter and twigs, can be moved to a corner of your property to start or add to a brush pile. Brush piles are invaluable in providing shelter and habitat for all sorts of wildlife.
Garden Design
Spring is an excellent time for encouraging your garden to look the way you want it to. You can dig up and move perennials or divide those that have grown too big for your space.
Spring is also a good time to put in new plants. Planting at this time allows your plants to put down roots and get settled before the heat of summer. This is especially true for trees and shrubs.
Think about leaving in place any native seedlings that have popped up. These ‘volunteers’ can fill in empty spaces and add some interest to your landscape.
Prune
Now is a good time to prune your late-blooming shrubs. (If they bloom in the spring, wait until after they have lost their flowers.) First, remove any dead, diseased or damaged branches. Next, if you want to shape your plant, you can prune strategically. Just be sure to cut above the nearest budding leaf or flower on each branch.
Weed
Spring is also an excellent time to get rid of pesky weeds before they establish too much of a foothold in your garden. Just be careful that as you do so you are not damaging any of your desired native vegetation. However, sometimes you need to let a weed grow a bit to see if it is friend or foe.
Mulch
Mulching provides a variety of benefits for your garden plants. Mulching helps to keep weeds at bay, improves soil health, retains moisture, and protects your plants from extreme temperatures. Shredded leaves, compost and aged manure are recommended for use under perennials; wood chips for under trees and shrubs. In all cases, leave some breathing room between your plants and your chosen mulch to prevent rot. Mulch should not be any higher than two inches off of the ground.
There are two beneficial alternatives to mulching:
- Plant your plants closely together. The NNGI team recommends spacing plants 12 inches from center to center when planting.
- Use a native groundcover such as Fragaria virginiana, wild strawberry or Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Virginia creeper.