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…
You may have seen soil resembling coffee grounds and noticed large worms moving quickly just below the surface – these are the invasive jumping worms in action. UMass sponsored four workshops over two days on this topic. The takeaway message is that the worms are here, and scientists are studying and experimenting in order to…
Return your Fine Garden Maintenance or Plant Health Care contract by March 1 Schedule a virtual meeting to ask questions and discuss details, phw@pumpkinbrookorganicgardening.com Place orders for seeds and bareroot stock (see article above) Start seeds of onions, leeks, and pansies indoors Sow some native seeds outdoors in containers — there’s still time (see article above)…
I love to read and want to share what is on my table this winter: Winterland by Cathy Rees has lots of color photos to demonstrate how to flesh out your home landscape at this coldest season of the year. Her accompanying text is down-to-earth and practical. I particularly like her mention of some of…
Winterberries and hollies bloom on new wood, so we will be shaping these mature shrubs in early spring to create pleasing natural templates for berries in fall and winter 2022-23. Crabapples and other small deciduous trees can be pruned this winter until April, during their dormant season. And, of course, we will be pruning the cutback shrubs…
Per University of North Carolina Extension, woody plants may abort fruit that was set in dry soil. Remember back to last June! There was a two to three-week period of very high temperatures and no rain. The soil was definitely dried-out as we finished our spring planting season. In fact, we delayed finishing one planting…
Take inventory of seed packets on hand and place orders for new varieties Clean, sharpen and repair garden tools Order replacement tools if needed Stock up on Safe Paw ice melt: non-corrosive, chloride-free, and safe for plants, animals, and humans Force some bulbs on water: hyacinth or paperwhites Water house plants only every 4-5 days and withhold…
All About Asian Jumping Worms Jumping Worms and the soil they create Have you noticed that some of your garden bed soil looks like coffee grounds? Do large worms jump out of the soil when you’re simply digging a small hole or pulling a weed? If you can answer at least one of these questions,…
White oak leaves Recently I was asked to identify an oak at the edge of a woodland where a new house had been built. This was a woods tree, with whitish bark somewhat resembling a hickory tree: clearly a white oak. Another clue was the rounded lobes on the leaves. The Latin name for white…
Fall color of blueberry bush We’ll be doing some important work this month for those of you with blueberries (lowbush and highbush) in the landscape. These plants fruit best in a soil that is acidic, yet require Calcium to produce well! A bit of a conundrum that we often solve by testing the soil and…