Do you feel that some of your plants or garden beds need a boost? Do you have shrubs undergoing rejuvenation pruning? Have you had recent construction and the resulting soil compaction? Or do you have a group of young plants still getting established? Your levels of soil biology, that microscopic life so critical to plant health, could be…
Fertilize cutback shrubs (hydrangeas, butterfly bush, smoke tree, etc) with a slow-release organic fertilizer to jump-start growth and later bloom Stake peonies early Scratch in Pro Holly around broadleaf evergreens that are young or have off-color after winter Fertilize blueberries and raspberries to encourage fruit production Divide fall blooming perennials Transplant perennials before they get…
Recently, we happened upon an almost-new electric mower/weed whacker combo and decided to purchase it. The mower will be powerful enough to “mow and shred” leaves on a flat lawn surface. These leaves can then be reused on your site as mulch for garden beds, thereby closing the loop right at home! We can also stockpile large piles…
Recently, I met up with a colleague from my early days of attending garden lectures: John Forti. After spending years developing and tending gardens at Plimouth Patuxet Museums and Strawbery Banke, John has turned to writing. He was asked by Timber Press to create The Heirloom Gardener: Traditional Garden Skills for the Modern Age. The book is part essay, part…
If so, check out this handy guide offered by the Xerces Society. There is a wonderful drawing showing how to create a habitat for stem-nesting native bees by cutting perennial stalks to various heights in spring. Find the handout here: https://xerces.org/publications/fact-sheets/nesting-overwintering-habitat
Blue hollies, winterberries, inkberries, yews, cutback shrubs…the list goes on. Now is the time! And it’s still not too late for fruit trees. Avoid pruning maples, stewartias, and birches, as these species drip sap readily. Have you ever heard the expression “the sap is rising?” That means those three trees, in particular!
This year we have three staff members who completed a four-day virtual training course in organic land care AND an independent design project incorporating native plants and natural systems. Laura Semple, Jeffrey Stevens, and new employee Douglas Field are the newly Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals. This NOFA program was first held in Winter 2002.…
Cut back standing ornamental grasses, perennials, and clean up excess leaves in beds Leave perennials standing until three 50 degree days in a row have passed to allow overwintering pollinators to disperse (NOTE: we’ve had these three days already) Experiment with leaving hollow-stemmed perennial stalks 12”-15” to encourage use by native bees for nesting; a daub…
You may enjoy a trip to Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston to view the new Orchid Show, Prismatic, that just opened. The Orangerie, Limonaia, and hallways are filled with 1,400 blooming orchids and colorful prismatic artworks that reflect light. Be sure to get there before the display closes on March 20. Advance tickets are…
What will be the first plants out of the snow? The answer is a native plant generating so much heat that it melts the snow around it in order to emerge — Eastern skunk cabbage! In fact, a pollinating fly is attracted to the pollen in the emerging skunk cabbage “flower,” and from there, our…