If you're here, chances are good you know about the benefits of an ecological garden. Gardens filled with native plants provide habitat and food for wildlife, clean our water, reduce storm run off, and provide myriad other benefits for people and the planet.
But there's good news! These extra benefits most certainly do NOT come with extra work! In fact, it's pretty much the opposite. And that's never more true than during spring clean up season. So skip the clean up chores and get down to enjoying your beautiful garden in no time with these tips.
Tip #1: Procrastinate.
If you left the stems of your perennials standing for winter interest and wildlife, by springtime, they may be starting to look a bit weathered. Spring is a good time to cut this material back, but don't feel like you need to hurry to get this done. In fact, the longer you put it off, the better. Most insects that use the hollow stems to lay eggs or overwinter aren't emerging until it is consistently in the 50s overnight. So go ahead: take this weekend to sit back with your coffee and enjoy the sights and sounds of spring.
Tip #2: Show a little stem.
Alright, I'll concede that at some point, we're going to need to get around to that clean up. If you want to tidy things up before the weather warms, consider cutting the stems back to 12-18 inches rather than all the way to the ground. I did this one year not for ecological reasons, but because I was pregnant because I just. could. not. bend. down. And I was surprised to discover that I actually loved the look of this! The stems created a lovely soft gray texture for the spring ephemerals and new green growth to peek through. So give it a try: your laziness could result in an even more beautiful spring garden.
Tip #3: Leave the piles of stems.
That's right: no need to neatly bag and tag all of those cut stems. One super easy option is just to lay the stems right back down on the bed where you've cut them, perhaps cutting them into 6-12 inch pieces. But we won't tell if you just leave the stems whole, and in a few weeks the plants will take over and hide the evidence.
Or, make a pile of stems in your yard somewhere out of sight. The birds will love you for this lazy shortcut. They will use the material from that pile to build their nests, and there's probably still plenty of tasty treats in those stems, in the form of seeds and bugs. Plus, wildlife needs shelter which your pile of stems can provide (and which is often in short supply in a spring landscape where everyone else has carted off all these materials and left bare lawn and empty beds).
If you can't hide your dead stems, no problem! Why not create a feature with them? Consider adding gabions to your yard that you can fill every year: now your old twigs and stems look deliberate and stylish. Or simpler yet, lay the piles of stems in an artful curving line through your plantings. The birds will thank you. And if your neighbors ask about it, you'll have an opportunity to teach them about the benefits of ecological gardening!
Tip #4: Clip your weeds.
As weeds begin to emerge, save yourself the work of pulling and bagging the weeds. Instead of pulling, clip them off at soil level. Clipping will prevent the soil from becoming loosened and bringing more weed seeds to the surface, cutting down on the weeding you'll need to do later on. True, the weed root is still there. But with few exceptions, most weeds are annuals or biennials, and preventing them from going to seed is good enough. Once you've clipped the weeds, just leave them there. (Unless they've gone to seed, which at this time of year, most have not.) The clippings will help mulch your beds and you won't even notice them in a day or two.
Tip #5: Lazy lawn care.
Step one of this tip is just shrink the size of your lawn. But if you're like me, you've probably still got some lawn for pets, kids, paths, or as a cue to care.
Don't worry about the ol' weed and feed. Most weeds can be reasonably controlled through regular mowing, and some weeds are benign or even beneficial in the lawn. Clover in particular is a great addition to any lawn: it fixes its own nitrogen, so it'll keep your lawn greener in the summer.
Finally, DO mow your lawn: while I appreciate the good intentions behind "No Mow May," the reality is that most of what's blooming in the lawn is non-native and not particularly beneficial to wildlife. And what wildlife does come will be wiped out come June 1st when you finally mow. Plus, an unmowed lawn looks uncared for. Your neighbors may not appreciate your efforts, making it harder to win their hearts and minds about the benefits of ecological gardening.
Hope these tips help you ease up on the chores and get to enjoying your garden faster this spring. Happy gardening!
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