It seems high time that I wrote about a vine! With the lengthening days, native honeysuckle vines are beginning to show buds now. This is the time to prune them back hard, as they bloom on new wood that will be produced this spring and summer. The vines will climb to about 10’ a season…
Usually, I’m writing about indoor bulb shows in March. This year, the big shows were canceled with the pandemic. So let’s all try something new this year and look for outdoor bulb displays! Check websites as advance timed tickets are often required for entry. A friend tipped me off that the snowdrops were blooming at…
We’re so happy to introduce a new supervisor: Coleman Wadsworth. He will be with us four days per week and has lots of fine gardening experience to share. Coleman has great experience with installation and planting projects but also enjoys pruning and ongoing garden maintenance. In his spare time, he enjoys experimenting with fermenting foods, making salsa, and learning…
We’ll be opening up beds by raking and trimming back browned stalks of perennials. There are many plants that need pruning at this season: Butterfly Bush, Caryopteris, Smoke Tree, Honeysuckle Vines (see article below), Colored Twig Dogwoods, White Hydrangeas, and subshrubs such as Candytuft and Germander, plus woody herbs including Lavender, Winter Savory, and Sage.…
Q: What will happen to my bulbs if a late snow comes after they’ve sent up new growth, or worse, if they’re already blooming? A: Bulbs are surprisingly resilient and can tolerate cold temperatures well. Emerging bulb tips or stems will simply stop growing and wait for better weather conditions. While snow may knock blooming bulbs over temporarily, they…
That is, as soon as the snow and ice are about out of the way! Aim to finish before new buds emerge in March. Begin by cutting out all dead canes to the base of the plant. These are very visible during this dormant season and will have a different color and lighter feel than live canes.…
Our first spot spraying of the year is right around the corner. We scout for leaf buds cracking on fragrant viburnum, V. carlesii, in early April. This is the moment to spray the new buds with horticultural oil and prevent unsightly damage from feeding larvae of the snowball aphid. Reese, our Plant Health Care Manager,…
Remove winter greens from containers, once unfrozen Rake out beds, trim brown stalks, assess winter damage and prune out Prune shrubs such as inkberry, holly, yew that may be overgrown Prune butterfly bush, caryopteris, smoke tree, St. Johnswort, and other cutback shrubs Shear ornamental grasses Shape lavender, sage, germander, thyme and other woody herbs by…
This native grass quite literally jumps out of the snow with bright green, hairlike foliage. It makes a great lawn substitute, gradually spreading and filling in from small potted plants. Or use it as an accent among other low native flowering plants such as American ginger, American pachysandra, or Meehan’s mint. In earliest spring, we quickly shear back…
Popular author and scientist Doug Tallamy (Bringing Nature Home and Nature’s Best Hope) has a new grassroots initiative afoot this season: Homegrown National Park. The idea is that we can all plant a small section of native plants at home and enjoy the wildlife that comes to partake of food and shelter. This does not mean that we’re going…