Dear friend,

I am inviting you to go outside and deeply inhale the scent of Spring wherever you are. Now is the time to wander the Wetlands Trails.  The air is suffused with honeysuckle and wild roses. The lush green feels shocking against the blue sky, the sun is so bright, and the trail is dusty and warm under my feet. Birds, so many birds, are calling out from branches or on their way somewhere else. Calling, cooing, trilling, they urge me deeper into the forest canopy.  

At home, I sit outside on my screened porch to spy on baby birds learning to fly.  This May, my garden beds are full of peeping, hopping Carolina Wren babies taking their first steps…or flights?  Their high-pitched “wee-wee” trill in chorus, and they skitter and drop from twig to branch.  I get too close, and Mama Bird buzzes by and fusses “ZZZ-ZZZ” like a mini buzz saw. She is small but mighty.  Don’t mess with Mama bird! 

She herds her flock to the back of my garden bed for a reason.  I get a bird ’s-eye view of her plan on my porch.  The old twiggy Azalea shrub is her chosen flight deck. Five babies hop and fluff their feathers in the crash pad of old leaves.  From twig to landing, their shrill “wee-wee” of glee as they expand their distance is mesmerizing.  This Azalea, long past the fulsome beauty of her youth, provides safe arms to hold the chicks.  Last Fall’s mostly broken-down leaves cushion their landing.    

Creating “soft landings” is such a fun and easy way to share our garden.  I read about this from biologist, pollinator conservationist, and author Heather Holm.  A soft landing is a gentle gardening technique that replaces traditional lawn around trees and shrubs with native plants and leaf litter.  Beneficial insects such as beetles, lacewings, bumble bees, and fireflies enjoy this homegrown nursery. Some become food for other species, like these baby birds.  Adult birds can survive on seeds, nuts, pollen, or nectar, but hatchlings require a nearby supply of caterpillars and moths.  Mama Bird chose well! 

I sip the rest of my tea and muse about soft landings.  How can I create one for myself?  I want to hold myself the way I would a sleepy child, a bunch of flowers, or a decorated cake.  I want to take time to listen, to soften, and discover what the animal part of me wants.  To listen to birdsong or link arms with a friend.  In May, the Peonies tell me to visit every day because they bloom and fade quickly.  I am reminded to take every opportunity to say “thank you,” “I love you,” and “you mean so much to me” today.  I leave the sanctuary of the porch, and I take a lesson from Mama Bird to pad my day with moments like this, and cherish them. 

I hope this May brings you many soft landings.  A beautiful and beneficial garden is a soft place to land and nourish your soul.  This month, I share where to go for inspiration, tips for your own garden, and a favorite May-blooming native plant.  Wishing for you this lovely month of May to feel the abundance that nature brings.    -See you in the Garden, Wendell 

RVA IMMERSE

• Experience RiverRock is This Weekend!  Outdoor fun on the James this weekend, featuring outdoor sports and live music on Downtown Richmond's Riverfront.

• Explore Private Native Gardens this Weekend!  You are invited to an Open House and free Native Garden Tours this Saturday, May 16th, from 9 am to 1 pm, rain or shine. Here is the map of private gardens opened to the public.  Or learn more at https://www.goingnativerichmond.org.

• Explore New Public Gardens:  On May 23rd, the new garden expansion opens at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. Click here to learn more. 

• River Water Quality Watch:  Sign up here to get emailed water quality reports from the James River Association.  

• Experience the Best Bird App:  If you would like a fun way to connect with the visitors in your garden, I love the Merlin Bird app that puts a face to birdsong.  I take it out with me hiking and in the backyard.  I love to see who stops by and who stays all summer. 

• Curious about the Birds migrating through the Wetlands and surrounding Parks? Click here to learn all about them. 

• May your Mind Bloom:  Learn how to create Fairy Gardens, Hummingbird Havens, and more. Check out these wonderful learning opportunities at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Or take a healing garden tour!  

• Go GCV!! Learn about the newly redesigned gardens at Garden Club of Virginia’s headquarters at the Kent Valentine House, a beautiful and beneficial garden I can’t wait to tour.  “Charlottesville-based landscape architecture firm Nelson Byrd Woltz, working in close collaboration with site stewards from the Garden Club of Virginia, imagined a new tableau that reflects the native ecologies, plant species, and horticultural practices of the commonwealth.”  R Magazine. 

GARDEN GUIDANCE

Well, folks, we are experiencing a severe drought in Virginia.  Here are some strategies to employ to help.  Drought strategies are on deck. 

1. RETAIN MOISTURE WITH MULCH

When coping with drought, get the water into the ground, hold it there, and keep it in the soil for as long as possible.  If you haven’t mulched, this will help retain water and help keep it from evaporating too quickly. If you left the leaves, this will really help sequester water and provide food for questing birds. 

2. DELIVER WATER TO ROOTS

Most plants love an inch of water per week. Without rain, you can help water your garden with your garden hose or irrigation system.  However, your shrubs and trees need water at the roots. Watering from above usually leads to water loss through evaporation. This shallow irrigation encourages roots to grow near the surface of the soil, where they are most susceptible to drought damage.  Aim your hose at the base of the plant rather than sprinkling the foliage.  Give it a nice, long drink. You can add soaker hoses (buried up to 3 inches deep in mulch ) to deliver moisture directly to the roots where it is needed.  Or you can leave a dripping hose on the base of a vulnerable tree or shrub to deeply hydrate in the morning and turn off in a few hours. 

3. PROTECT YOUR TREES

At the Winter Symposium this Year at Lewis Ginter, the head of Bartlett’s Trees spoke about watering prevention being the number one strategy to prevent tree decline.  If you have mature trees that are struggling, be sure to mulch around the base to cool the roots and add a method of soaking in water.  Capital Trees uses tree diapers to protect and preserve new trees planted in public spaces.  They come in different sizes and are easy to use. Simply soak the mat in water to get it started, then place it around your plants. If you prefer a natural look, just add mulch on top of the mat. 

MAY GARDEN CARE

Clean-up: Spring is here, and your garden is calling you.  Pollinators are out and about.  A little bit of mulch is welcome to cool off the earth and prevent weeds.  It also helps retain moisture for your established and newly planted trees, shrubs, and perennials.  If you held off on the cleanup, remove matted leaves from planting beds and compost.  Edge Beds (if you like) and feather in mulch along the lawn and bed’s edge for that neatly turned out garden bed.  Or let it be.  It’s up to you.  I would hit pause on planting during drought, however. 

Trees and Shrubs:  Now is the time to evaluate your tree canopy and shrubs.  See any dead limbs or branches?  Now is the time to remove dead wood.  Call your arborist if you spot dead limbs.  Don’t be concerned if Crape Myrtles are slow to leaf out.  However, if they have not leafed out by June, you may call an arborist to confirm what you suspect.  You can remove the water shoots at the base of the tree.  Spring-blooming Dogwood and Redbud Trees have already done their thing, but you may catch a Fringe Tree in bloom.

Perennials:  All thoughts of frost are gone.  Usually, I say “Plant at will!” However, without a watering strategy in place, it's a fool’s errand.   I highly recommend a trip to your local nursery to be inspired.  Please do not go to your big box store.  Please support our local nurseries!  They are stocked with beauties and have people who will help you select the right plant for your garden.  I would love for you to plant native plants if you are thinking of adding some new friends to the garden.  I myself have a weakness for Peonies, and they are blooming now.  So easy to plant and deer resistant too. 

Fruits and Fruiting things:  I enjoy my Agriberry Strawberry share!!  You may try planting some or at least enjoying them because they are in season. 

NATIVE PLANT LOVE:

If you are in LOVE (heart eyes) with Larkspur and Foxglove, and want to plant a native, please let me introduce you to Baptisia.  Gorgeous, purple pea-shaped blooms raised in elegant spires, this fulsome perennial shines in our clay soil.  Learn more here. The bluish purple color is gorgeous, and you can plant it in full sun to partial shade.  I was blown away by their presence in a dear friend’s garden, and now I have to plant some for myself. 

CLIENT STORY TELLING

Beautiful and beneficial gardens are rooted in gratitude.  I am so thankful for the truly wonderful clients and friends who trust me to create gardens together.  

This month, I am reflecting on a client who called me to help transplant peonies from her mother’s garden into her garden.  With my son’s help, we were able to get them into the ground, and she called to let me know they are blooming.  She cut blooms from them before transplanting, and I enjoyed them on my kitchen counter.  I love that she will always have a memory of her mother’s garden for years to come.  I am grateful to be a part of her garden, and this is bringing me a lot of joy.   

Gardens are nature’s love notes, reminding us to care for ourselves.  Please reach out if I can help you create your haven at home.