Ha hah! I knew warm weather would arrive. Snow has melted (mostly) and vernal witch hazels are starting to bloom. Unfortunately, the cooler days will be back next week. Still, rabbits and deer are on the prowl. Spray repellents on your shrubs susceptible to animal browsing in a period of dry days when temperatures are above freezing. Also, feeders should be put away until next December or you will have a bear stopping by.
Beware of your intentional paths as you walk around the yard looking for crocus buds, snowdrop blooms, and flowers on the witch hazel (Hamamelis vernalis) or Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas). Taking the same path on frozen grass will break the crowns of turf and compress the soil. As an example of compression, consider how taking the same path through snow will turn the path to ice. The icy path will take longer to melt than the snowy, non-trodden grasses on either side. The side grasses have access to the melted snow and will green up while the frozen path blocks the sun and holds back the water access. Plus, compression makes it harder for water to seep through the soil down to the plant roots.
I have many tips for getting my brown gardens ready for a burst of spring. Time to get out your pruners and snips.
Gently cut away the winter-burned foliage of epimedium, hellebore, and primrose to make way for fresh spring flower stems and leaves. Snips are good. Don’t pull or rip the dead plant material or you may dislodge tender spring roots of your perennials. Snip back to the plant’s growing center crown.
Prune sweet autumn clematis (Clematis virginiana) now. Flowers are borne on the current season’s growth.
When starting to prune a shrub or tree, concentrate on cutting dead or broken branches first. A clean cut will help prevent further damage that might occur if the branch ripped down the side of the trunk or healthy stem.
Prune a third of the oldest red twig dogwood canes to the ground each spring to maintain the shrub’s red color. The new wood will be the brightest red in winter.
Cut back invasive vines to the ground but don’t pull out. Do the same for other weedy invaders like Canadian thistle and goutweed. The smallest piece of a root will sprout a new plant in the landscape so it’s best to starve them by repeatedly cutting off access to light and photosynthesis through the leaves. Cut to the ground repeatedly through the growing season. It may take a few seasons!
Rumor has it that St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) is the day to plant peas. Be wise—don’t believe everything you hear. Sow pea seeds about one inch deep once soils reach 45 degrees. Might be a couple weeks still. A candy thermometer stuck in the soil will work fine to check the temperature. Confirm if your peas are bush type or vining. If vining, you will want to install some sort of trellis to hold the vines. Don’t let them snake about and sprawl every which way. That is the way to fungus and disease. St. Patrick would not approve.
Back indoors and thinking about the upcoming season, I will be starting some more seeds.
I hope to create a white garden, or at least whiter garden, this spring. White flowers stand out in the moonlight, and I want to have fragrant ones near my deck for warm summer evenings. I will start seeds of flowering tobacco (Nicotiana) this week, and I should have good-sized seedlings to plant out in early May. Nicotiana can be five feet tall at bloom time and has a lovely fragrance.
Now is also a good time to start Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower indoors for larger plants before summer heat. These can be planted outdoors once they have two sets of true leaves and have hardened off, perhaps by mid- to late April.
I will be starting salvia plants this week with a heat mat and bright LED lights. I love Victoria blue salvia (Salvia x superba) as an annual accent everywhere. It blooms into October and attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Herbal sage (Salvia officianalis) will also bloom and continue as a perennial in the herb garden. They need bright light and like warm soils to germinate. I will plant both in the same tray since they also have similar germination needs.
Your house plants could use a spring cleaning. Gently wipe the leaves with a moist paper towel to bring back the leaf shine. You could also take a shower with them. They aren’t shy. The cleaning will help them soak up the sunlight of our longer days and make more food through photosynthesis.
Then there is too much sun. My pothos vine sat in water too long and in direct sunlight. The combination created dried tips and browned, banded foliage. Luckily, I can cut all the leaves back on this hard-to-kill houseplant.
Now that you can see your garden beds, get in there and dig out the perennial weeds (AKA plants growing in the wrong places). March temperatures make for perfect weeding weather. You can wear protective layers without overheating and mosquitoes are few and far between. A word about organic weed management: Corn gluten inhibits germination and won’t prevent last year’s perennial weeds from emerging. Organic herbicides high in acetic acid (vinegars) will kill foliage but won’t control deep-rooted perennial weeds. Know the weed and use a combination of tactics. Dig out garlic mustard now, root and all. But again, cut back repeatedly those other weeds that sprout easily from a piece of root—thistle, bittersweet, goutweed, and ground ivy.
I call myself the Lazy Berkshire Gardener because I don’t want to work too hard in my gardens. I want to enjoy them. I find it easier to observe my landscape and let the compost happen, the water pool up, or daisies to self-sow. I look for ways to do the minimum task for the biggest impact. For example, mulching is better than spraying and much better than weeding all season. I look for beautiful, low-maintenance plants that thrive in or at least tolerate my garden conditions. Plus, I am willing to live with the consequences if I miss something.
