Perhaps the plants that I am most grateful for in this moment are hellebores. Because they are not native, I feel comfortable cutting back their decaying leaves in March.
On a dry morning (if we get a dry morning), peek at what you have growing. The recent rains should have helped your gardens get a good start, unless they have been flooded out.
If you are lucky enough to have plants in a cold frame, remember to vent it on sunny days. We had temperatures in the low 20s a week ago and 60s four days later. Sun will fry plants under glass unless you allow a cool breeze to get through.
As we think about lawns, we should question their purpose—are they going to be heavily trafficked, are they simply an open space that we want to look across, or do they serve an additional purpose, such as helping to absorb rainwater or to feed pollinators? And most importantly, how much energy do we want to spend on maintaining them?
While last weekend did not bring a deluge of rain, it was cold and windy at my house. I chose to do some concentrated weeding because 1) the beds needed it, 2) the beds were in the sunshine, and 3) the house blocked the wind.
If you have too much lawn, or your attempts to grow grass in an area always fail, maybe you should grow something else there. Creating an island of shrubs with perennial groundcovers or just an island for annuals with a few perennials to anchor it might be the perfect solution.
Virginia bluebells and hellebores are the Punxsutawney Phil of plants. Their emergence reminds me that spring is on its way. I find comfort in these signs of spring, but also fret about the winter tasks still left undone
Plants, especially native plants, are genetically disposed to get growing as daylight expands. As trees and shrubs grow, once-sunny spots become shady and understory plantings might stop flowering well or not at all.
I’ve scanned the upcoming weather forecast. After warm days on Tuesday and Wednesday, this upcoming weekend looks like perfect weather for either spraying repellents or preventive fungicides.
If you need to do some gardening (it is a type of addiction, this need to grow things), start your broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts indoors now to set out by mid-April and have early season crops.
It’s such good news that many gardeners and entrepreneurs are starting small flower farms so we can have seasonal flowers, but what do we do in the middle of the winter season that remains a little bereft of flowers? Lee has suggestions.
