Ugh. How can it be March 6 already? The hints of spring have been too brief for me. Even after warm temperatures and rain, the harsh cold will be back this weekend.
Gardeners! Be resilient. You’ve got this. Start your seeds; make your plans. Make a note to force flowering bulbs next year and pick up a pot of fragrant spring bulbs now blooming at your local garden store.
Pruning every year in late winter will help your fruit trees, young trees (up to eight inches in diameter), and shrubs grow into healthy, well-mannered, mature adults. Recently, I saw a few trees along the Charles River that weren’t pruned enough in their youth. The weeping fellow on the left can’t resist poking the upright tree on the right. How rude!
I found a few moments—and I mean moments, one hour maximum—to prune my Hydrangea paniculata “Quick Fire” last weekend. Hydrangea can be confusing.
Here are the late-winter Hydrangea pruning basics:
Smooth hydrangea or Hydrangea arborescens (for example, Annabelle hydrangea or Hydrangea a. “Haas Halo” or “Incrediball®”) can be cut back by one third of the stem to signs of new growth in the spring. These bloom on the current season’s stems (or wood) so pruning now before the growing season shouldn’t be a problem. Any hydrangea with the arborescens species as part of the name would fall into this category.
Hybrid Hydrangea macrophylla. Trademarked hybrids like “Endless Summer®” and its subsequent hybrids like “Bloomstruck®,” “Blushing Bride®,” “Pop Star®,” or “Twist-n-Shout®” are bred to bloom on cane growth from the previous summer as well as the current spring. However, harsh winters can still kill the flower buds. It is best not to prune these hybrids but protect the canes from winter kill caused by harsh winds or late-spring frost by shielding the plants in burlap and mulching heavily. Prune soft, flexible canes only after you see green growth emerge from the buds on the canes. Prune the tips back to where you see the green growth if you like, but it is not necessary. Trim off the first flush of flowers no later than mid-July. Flowering branches will develop above your cuts and you should get late-summer blooms.
Hydrangea paniculata (Hydrangea p. “Quick Fire®,” p. “Litttle Quick Fire®,” or “Limelight,” p. “Vanilla Strawberry,” p. “Strawberry Sundae®”) should all be treated as Hydrangea paniculata. These branch out from spent flowers and technically don’t need pruning. You may choose to prune to control the growth and encourage stronger stems by cutting the canes back by one third in early spring. Pruning will encourage more flowers, but realize that your pruning is more for overall structure. Pruning too late in June will cut off the flower buds right before the plants bloom.
Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) is a hydrangea native to the southeast U.S. and is hardy to Zone Five. You may need to give it some protection in winter around here. Temperatures below negative 10 degrees can damage the flower buds because it blooms on the previous summer’s wood. They do not require pruning except to remove dead stems and provide structure. For best blooms, dead-head prune in early fall, just after the plant flowers fade.
As snow melts, you may see mold across the lawn surface. Don’t worry! “Snow mold” will disappear quickly once turf grasses dry out and are exposed to sunlight. Gently rake the lawn areas affected by mold to break up the mold fibers and prevent the mold from blocking the sun.
You may be stocking up on landscape products for spring. Read labels and be sure the products will actually serve your purposes. A terrific discovery in the last 30 years was that corn gluten will stop the germination of seeds. That is great, but don’t translate that fact into a cure-all for lawn weeds. Corn gluten meal will not effectively control perennial crabgrass. Perennial seed has already germinated, rooted, and grown in your lawn. The corn gluten will only prevent ungerminated seed from setting roots. It has no effect on established weeds.
The recent snow melt prompted me to inspect the flower beds. I was happy to find moss phlox (Phlox stolonifera) looking sturdy and green after the snow melted. Hardy perennials offer that benefit. They will hold your garden soils in place and bloom into life in early spring.
Even though spring hasn’t arrived, I still like to think about late-season perennials. A lazy gardener needs a budget after all, and I want to have some cash left over in September to improve my pollinator habitat. Maybe I will add wolfsbane—also called monkshood (Aconitum)—to go with more white False aster (Boltonia) and turtlehead (Chelone). These will add variety to my overabundance of bright yellow, black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia fulgida). I don’t need to get those perennials now (even if they were available), but I like having a long-term wish list. If I come across these plants in a sale or garden swap, I can consult my list and take advantage of “out of season” deals.
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.
