March 18, 2022 Patience gardeners, patience

 Hi gardeners

Winter aconite should be blooming soon

It’s March and here in Michigan we’ve just had a few really nice days. The redwing blackbirds, the sandhill cranes, the killdeer, the robins and the bees are all back. The snowdrops are blooming, and in some places, crocus. I found it odd that the honeybees on my porch were swarming some cracked corn I put out for the birds.  There were snowdrops in bloom just below them and only a few bees were on them. I don’t know what they were getting from the corn.

And with a little warm weather people in Michigan are literally trying to plant their gardens outside. In March. In Michigan. We still have snowstorms in March. Heck, we sometimes have snowstorms in April.  Anyway, it’s not about how warm the air temperature is that determines when to plant, it’s about the soil temperature and soil condition. (For more about soil temps and planting click on the link at the bottom of this blog post.)

The very first thing you should learn if you are gardening outside is what planting zone you are in, and when your average first and last frosts are. So much about good gardening practices revolves around that information. You can ask other gardeners, a local garden store, your County Extension office or look up this information. There’s a link to an interactive planting zone map below the blog.

Patience is a flower every gardener should cultivate. If you are a gardener in zone 7 or higher, your time to plant might be here.  But all of you in planting zones 6 and lower, you need to be patient.

So let’s talk about March Gardening- zone 6 and lower

March is a tricky month for gardeners, especially in zones 5 and 6. The gardener is outside, walking the grounds, maybe seeing some early crocus in bloom in sheltered areas and hearing the robins sing. The urge is to get out there and do something in the yard.

Its amazing how anxious we are this time of year to jump into gardening. There are things gardeners can be doing but some things you do now cause more harm than good. Here are some safe things to do in your garden this month.

Seed starting

Late March is a great time to start things like tomatoes and peppers, which need a long time to grow into large transplants. Perennial flower seeds and herbs are also good to start early. In zone 6 and lower most other garden seeds shouldn’t be started inside until April. (If you are zone 7 or higher – some seeds can be planted outside now.)

And here’s a tip. Don’t start seeds inside if you can’t properly care for them. Most new gardeners start way too many seeds way too early in way too little light.  You need grow lights if you don’t have a greenhouse or cold frame. Even sunny southern windowsills won’t be enough light if your seedlings are more than 2 inches from the window, which doesn’t give you a lot of space. (See the link below about cold frames.)

Almost any plant you want for your garden can be bought at a local greenhouse or even at big box stores. Unless you set up a greenhouse or a grow light unit, keep your seed starting to a few heirloom plants or unusual things you might not find locally. You’ll be happier with the results and the plants will probably be healthier.

When you do start seeds inside- READ THE SEED PACKET DIRECTIONS. It will tell you
when to start the seeds indoors or if you should start them indoors. The directions will tell you how many weeks from your average last frost, counting backwards, to start seeds inside or for your planting zone when to start outside. If you don’t have a seed packet look the information up.

The only garden seeds that can be safely planted outside in March are garden peas. They can be planted as soon as the soil is thawed. Even snow won’t hurt them.

You can sow grass seed- yes even if it still snows.  Just make sure that your ground is dry enough you don’t leave large footprints or spreader ruts in the soil. The ground should not be frozen when you apply the seed. But you can sprinkle grass seed on top of a light cover of snow without problems. For zone 5-6 gardeners late March and early April are ideal times for seeding lawns.

You can shop for plants and supplies- good companies will ship plants at the right time to plant.  Some retail stores may get perennials in or bareroot roses and shrubs. Many perennials are shipped in from the south and are much more advanced than local plants. If you plant these outside now, you’ll probably get a lot of cold die back, which may or may not kill the plant.  Let the store care for them a while longer, mid-April is a safer time to plant these in zone 6 and lower.

Dormant bareroot plants can be planted as soon as the soil has thawed. Do not let bareroot plants start growing without being planted in soil. Keep them cool and dark and remove any shoots that sprout until you can plant them. Don’t buy bareroot plants that have long sprouts or lots of leaves. These plants have used up a lot of reserves and have a much-reduced chance of survival.

Winter damage check up

Check for damage from rodents, rabbits and deer. Look at the bottoms of trees and shrubs to see if the bark has been chewed. If a tree or shrub is totally girdled, (the bark is eaten off all around the tree), it may die. Some shrubs and even trees may return from the roots.

You’ll want to give damaged shrubs and trees extra water and fertilizer as new growth begins to help them recover. Grafted trees, such as most fruit trees, come back from rootstock that is generally undesirable for fruiting. You’ll want to remove those trees if they are girdled.

Pruning and clean up

Pruning fruit trees and grape vines can still be done. Get a good pruning manual and follow the directions. You may be able to get pruning information at your County Extension office. Don’t prune fruit trees that are kept just for spring flowers, such as ornamental cherries and crabapples now as you will reduce the bloom.

It’s a good time to prune many ornamental trees.  Don’t prune maples, birch, beech, or walnuts if the temperature is above freezing as it will cause heavy sap loss. Do not prune pines. Do not prune trees you want spring flowers from, like redbuds and magnolias.

Don’t prune off dead areas on semi-woody shrubs, clematis and roses for a bit longer. The dead area protects living tissue below it. If a cold snap comes and you have already pruned back to living tissue the cold may kill additional areas of the plant. You can prune buddleia right to the ground now but mark where it is as it is slow to start growing in the spring.

Some plants like arborvitae have darkened or reddish foliage right now from winter cold. Don’t prune that off. New buds will develop on those stems, or the plants will green up. Check later in May after deciduous trees have leaved out to see if there are dead areas to prune out.

Some clean up can be done now. Go cautiously here. Don’t remove protective mulches too early. Trim off dead leaves and stems carefully. Some of it is protecting the crowns of the plants. Mums for example, need to be budded out before all the old stems are removed. You may want to leave stems a few inches above ground for now. Stems also show you where plants are located.

You can cut back, or if you like drama, burn off, the old leaves of ornamental grasses now. Be careful with fire in early spring when things may be dry and there’s a lot of debris to burn. You may need a permit to burn grasses, leaves, or burn off ditches.

Don’t worry about overwintering beneficial insects too much as you clean up. If you compost what you remove or take your debris off to a far corner to sit, they will be fine. But if you don’t mind a messy look, don’t even clean up most of the left-over leaves and stems, they will quickly rot away with warm weather. Do remove thick matted layers of leaves down to a light layer though.

Other garden chores

You can apply dormant oil sprays.  A dormant oil spray is part of the good pest management program for fruit trees.  It is also used for some insect problems in ornamental trees. It can be applied when the weather is above 40 degrees but below 80 degrees.

Build new beds.  If your ground is dry enough to walk on and use equipment without making deep imprints and ruts, you can start new garden beds. Mix your soil and amendments and get everything ready to plant.

Apply manure and compost. If you use manure now is the time to apply it generously to empty beds, go lightly on occupied ones.  Compost is good for all beds but don’t add it until the ground is thoroughly thawed and don’t make it too deep over existing plants.

Turn the compost pile or start a new one. Turning the pile will help it warm faster and get it cooking again after winter.  If you don’t have a compost pile, find a good spot to start one and get going.

Clean and sharpen garden tools. Check mowers for any needed parts and sharpen the blades or replace with new ones. Clean out your garden shed.  Check your garden hoses.  Stock up on potting soil and buy your seeds while the selection is good. Better to spend a day shopping for garden supplies while it is still brisk and wet outside, rather than a warm sunny one when you would rather be working outside!

Clean out, repair, and replace bird houses. The birds are returning from the south and looking for nesting spots. Keep your feeders full, there’s not much native food left this time of year. It’s too early for hummingbird feeders (zone 6 and lower), the fluid may freeze and crack the feeder, and the hummers probably aren’t coming back until mid April at the minimum.  If you do see a stray one, put up the feeder, and bring it in on cold nights.  Orioles probably won’t be back until April either, but if you see them, grape jelly in a dish is a good alternative to nectar.

Remember to stay off your soil if it is too wet. You will compact it and cause a lot of damage to soil structure. It’s too wet if you pick up a handful of soil, squeeze it, open your hand and it stays in a clump. That’s too wet to walk on or plant.

One of the things you can do is plan. That may mean sitting in the sun and daydreaming or walking around measuring and drawing plans. Good plans make great gardens. Spring is coming. But a good gardener knows how to satisfy the urges without damaging the plants.

 

Snowdrops

I grow plants for many reasons: to please my eye or to please my soul, to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience, for novelty or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow. – David Hobson

  

So, enjoy the nice weather but take it slow

Kim

 

 No part of this blog may be reproduced or published without permission.

  

Links you might enjoy

 Planting zones

 

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/know-your-garden-zone.html

Growing snowdrops

 https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/snowdropsa-shy-and-secretive-beauty.html

Soil temperature and planting

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/soil-temperature-and-planting.html

 Interactive zone map

https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/

 

 

March 2, 2022 Are native plants better?

 Hi gardening friends

Meteorological spring has arrived and signs that true spring is coming are popping up all over. The spring equinox is March 20. When I went to the barn this morning the temps were in the 20’s but the sun was shining, and the birds were singing like crazy. I stopped for a few minutes to put my face in the sun and listen for red wing blackbirds or robins. I didn’t hear any, but I expect them any day.

The day was supposed to be cloudy and rainy or snowy, so the morning sun was a pleasant surprise. Now the clouds are moving in but the temps have moved above 40 degrees so we should get rain instead of snow.

I am so ready for spring and flowers. I looked for snowdrops, they are up but not blooming yet.  A few warm days will probably bring them into bloom. People just 50 miles south have them in bloom. After snowdrops there will be winter aconite and crocus and from there the world explodes into bloom.

I have been slow to get the gardening itch this year, but I’m scratching now. Last night I paged through several print garden catalogs, and I have started actually looking at all the plant sales that pop into my inbox instead of moving them to trash. I stood outside yesterday deciding which seedling trees need to cut down and where I want to add and subtract plants.

I’m trying not to be too ambitious with this year’s garden because I have so many family obligations this spring. But it’s hard in spring with all the promise of the garden season stretching ahead of me not to get carried away. I’m hoping for a long, and mild spring.

I wrote an article below about choosing plant species for your garden and why it’s important not to choose plant species that other people have decided you should plant. It seems like virtue and saving the planet have merged into a strident movement to plant only “native” plants.

But gardeners should plant what they like if it suits the conditions of garden. Gardening is an art form, a mental therapy exercise, and a learning experience, and unless someone is paying you to do it their way, you should do what pleases you in your garden.

 

Should you only plant native plants?

It’s spring and the gardener’s thoughts turn to planting- and buying- plants.  And if you listen to the native plant pushers on social media the only plants you should dare to plant are native species. Don’t fall for the propaganda. It’s based on a lot of romantic, wishful thinking that planting only “native” plants will somehow save the world.

Don’t get me wrong, native plants aren’t bad. If you can put at least some native species in a garden it’s a good idea. But there is no reason that any gardener needs to limit themselves to only native plants.

Are native plants easier to grow?

Native plants are not easier to grow than most non-natives. In fact, some native plants are quite hard to establish and require much more care than common non-native garden plants. There are gardens composed of all native plants that are beautiful. But those gardens required quite a bit of effort and they need attention to remain beautiful, just like any other garden.

For example, the idea of sprinkling a “wildflower” seed mix on a piece of ground and having it spring up into a beautiful field of flowers is just advertising hype. You must carefully prepare the soil before you plant and then you’ll need to weed out aggressive plants that will want to overtake the “wildflowers”, both native and non-native bullies. And you’ll be lucky to get a pretty show for a short time in the second year, as most of these wildflowers don’t bloom the first year from seed.

Are native plants better for pollinators and other animals?

In most cases native plants are not more helpful to pollinators, birds and other animal species in the area. There are a few insects that require a specific “host” plant. But non-native plants can provide just as much food and shelter for most other inhabitants of any ecosystem as native plants. And in some cases, they are superior to natives in providing these things.

Putting some native host plants in your garden is a fine idea, but your whole garden does not need to be designed around native plants. Gardens with non-native plants support a higher diversity and number of pollinators, helpful insects and birds than if the gardens held only native plants or were left unplanted.

Often people judge plant species not for their value to other creatures in the environment but for human values. For example, planting native grasses in a garden is not helpful to pollinators and most insects. Yet the human gardener feels justified with the choice because they feel by planting “native” plants they somehow are helping save the planet. Planting buddleia, Dames Rocket, zinnias, roses, and other blooming non-natives would be so much better for everything else.

Do non-native plants spread outside the garden and displace native plants?

Non-native plants do not “displace” native plants when used in the garden unless you dig up native plants to plant them. Worrying about non-natives spreading to “wild” places is also over hyped. Most common garden plants don’t spread very far outside the garden and if they did, would harm nothing.

There are some non-native plants that are aggressive spreaders, and you should learn what those plants are- FOR YOUR AREA- and avoid planting them. But beware-many of the plants bashed by native plant pushers are not aggressive spreaders in all areas. Buddleia or butterfly bush comes to mind. In planting zones 5 and lower this plant rarely, if ever, spreads outside the garden. But native plant pushers are constantly warning all gardeners not to plant it.  

And just because non-native plants occupy space doesn’t mean they displaced native plants. In most cases they occupy disturbed land, land changed by human activity. This land is no longer suitable for native plants that once grew in the area, or they would be growing there.

Dames Rocket, a pretty, fragrant, flowering non-native plant that bees and butterflies love, often grows along roadsides and paths. Dames Rocket probably spread to wild areas from gardens at some point. There is no similar native flowering plant that would do well in these disturbed areas. Yet the native plant purists are out there spending thousands of dollars and labor hours getting rid of it.

What harm does planting only native plants do?

In a world where climate change is drastically altering what will grow well in any location, introducing new species may be the key to saving an ecological system. Nature has always allowed new species into ecosystems. Natural ecosystems constantly evolve and change. Diversity of species, no matter where they come from and how they get there, allows for adaptation and is the key to keeping any ecosystem thriving.

Besides limiting diversity, there are other problems that the native plant fad has created. Poaching native plants from natural environments to sell to gardeners has soared in many areas, particularly of cacti and succulents and some rare woodland plants. Most sellers will claim they raised the plants from seed or propagated them but there is little the average gardener can do to check this claim. This is a serious threat to these species’ survival in the natural environment.  Gardeners should not purchase rare or endangered native plants at all.  And gardeners should not collect seed from endangered plants in the wild, it should be left to reproduce plants in that area.

Another threat to natural environments comes from the relentless and often ridiculous effort to eradicate non-native plants in natural areas. Huge amounts of pesticides are being used in many cases to eradicate non-native plants. These pesticides directly impact all species of plants and animals in the area, usually much more than leaving the alien plants alone.

There are attempts to eradicate plants that have been in certain places for more than 100 years and which have become entwined and part of the local environment. And this is simply ridiculous as it will never restore what somebody thinks was the “natural” ecosystem because ecosystems constantly change. Because something is relatively new in an environment does not mean it is bad. Nature has always been changing and adapting.

Money is the driving force behind a lot of the native plant movement. People who are making money producing native plants are going to tell you that they are better for the environment, easier to grow and that you are somehow more righteous for growing them. They want to sell plants.

People whose jobs are selling pesticides or directing teams of people removing non-natives are not going to admit that much of what they are doing is useless or even harmful. The removal of non-native plants is a whole industry in itself. Some believe what they are doing is good stewardship. Only a very few plants deserve such intensive efforts to remove them. Nature is very good at adapting to change, but it’s very difficult to change a money-making environment.

What would you be giving up if you only plant native plants?

If you are going to stick to native plants, you’ll need to decide just what native means to you.  Is it native to North America (or wherever you are) or native to your immediate, local area?  And then which of those species will grow in your soil, your light, and drainage conditions? Are you going to use improved varieties of native plants or stick to wild forms?  You can see your selection could get very narrow.  

I can’t imagine spring in my garden without tulips, daffodils, peonies and lilacs or summer without roses, clematis, hosta, poppies, daylilies and hydrangeas and fall without mums, buddleia and toad lilies. These are just some common non-native plants. I’m fine with mixing in some goldenrod, milkweed, and echincea, all natives. Maybe that’s not your type of garden.  But the point is a garden is a cultivated space, and gardeners should not be afraid to add plants that are not native to it.

Don’t get hung up on what plants are native or non-native when planning a garden. Plant things that are suitable for the conditions your garden has and that you like. This will give you hundreds of choices and the ability to plan something you love while still providing for creatures like pollinators.

Your bit of garden space cannot revert to “native” status.  In the last century or so the piece of ground you intend to garden on has changed immensely. The soil has changed, the weather has changed, the plants and animals that surround it have changed. Even if humans haven’t touched it in a hundred years it has changed. Nature constantly changes. You are not going to restore it to a native state, because that state doesn’t exist.

Gardens, by definition, are cultivated places, that is people plant them and tend them.  And gardens of all kinds are good for the environment and support other creatures besides us. Your garden should be the garden you dream of, and don’t let people shame you into something else.

 

The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway. – Michael Pollan

 

Kim Willis

No part of this blog may be reproduced without permission. To contact me for any reason,  write to kimwillis151@gmail.com