Finish transplanting and dividing work by the first week of the month Cut back peony and hosta, plants that don’t “die well” and may transmit fungal diseases Leave perennial seed heads if you enjoy bird activity during winter – otherwise cut back now Leave hydrangea, tree peony, foxglove, hellebore, ornamental grasses, tall sedums, roses, perennial…
Scraping of lead paint underway Several of our clients are having their homes scraped and painted this summer. For structures built before 1978, lead-based paint was used. What can be done about lead paint chips in the soil around foundations? Is it safe to eat herbs and plants grown in these areas? Painting companies should take precautions to…
Get out and enjoy all the bloom in your garden Finish editing any spreading perennials Keep up with weeding, especially weeds with seedheads Finish mulching beds, or ideally plant spreading groundcover or short perennials to reduce quantity of mulch needed Finish planting by month’s end when the hot weather begins Deadhead peony, iris, roses, and…
Maple Leaf Viburnum, Viburnum acerifolium One of my staff cut this native shrub back a few years ago to reduce tick habitat on my woods edge, thinking he was being helpful. Initially I was alarmed, but it resprouted with multiple stalks and has more small white flowers than ever before! This is an important plant…
Pumpkin Brook owns an air spade and recently used it for radial trenching around a tree growing in compacted soil at the Francis Parker Charter School in Devens. Enjoy this photo of our crew at work and let us know if we can help you with this specialized power tool in the future. See a video…
Our Plant Pick this month is the Hawthorn tree, an ancient plant in the Rose family with all-season interest. Persistent fruit, colorful fall foliage, lightly exfoliating bark, and reddish winter twigs make it an appealing choice. In New England, Crataegus crus-galli, our native hawthorn has large thorns and is commonly called Cockspur. This plant is…
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…
So, we’re ordering plants and seeds. What are we ordering? Bareroot stock is now available for early spring planting. This is the best way to find fragrant, antique rose varieties. These simply aren’t sold in nurseries anymore. Edibles like raspberries, asparagus, rhubarb, and young fruit trees are also available as bareroot stock. What does bareroot…