March invites you to begin anew

Hello friends, Spring is here.  Can you feel it in the air?  The smell of warm soil. The sound of Spring Peeper frogs singing their welcome chorus at the Wetlands.  The yellow spun gold of Spicebush dots the woodland.  The color green is beginning to suffuse the woodland around the James River.  My favorite walk around the river signals to me, ready or not, Spring is here.  The earth is “remembering” her name, and the name of every place is “joyful,” as Mary Oliver so beautifully says.  

Today is the first day of Spring.  March 20th is also the Spring Equinox.  (This is one of two days per year when the hours of night equal the hours of day, and the term “equinox” literally means “equal night”). The March Equinox represents a turning point from the cold and darkness of winter to the warmth and light of Spring. Like waking up from a long nap, nature all around us is showing us a little magic and inviting us to begin anew. 

Sometimes magic stops you in your tracks.  I took a long walk around my neighborhood and saw this little fairy house garden.  The tiny castle, the figures, and the exquisite castle were a marvel.  I took in the creativity and care my neighbor spent creating this joyful vignette. I was reminded of the power of care and the invitation of new beginnings.  I don’t know who to thank, but your garden prompted me to laugh and leave a bit of heaviness behind.  

I hope that this Spring brings you a new beginning and beautiful, fertile energy into your heart.  In this month’s newsletter, we will explore ways to bring the new energy of Spring to your garden.  If you haven’t started one, now is a wonderful time for new beginnings.  I hope you are inspired to try new plantings and a little Spring magic this season.    -See you in the Garden, Wendell 

RVA IMMERSE 

• Immerse in the joy of Daffodils.  Visit the Virginia Daffodil Society Show at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.  Hundreds of delightful prize-worthy daffodils and expert growers on hand.  Held on Saturday, March 22, 2 – 5 p.m. and on Sunday, March 23, 9 am– 3:30pm.  Free admission. 

• Celebrate with us! Join Capital Trees on Earth Day at Hotchkiss Green, Sunday, April 26.  Learn more here.

• Be Inspired! From March 5 to April 18, visit the REACH exhibition at Bond Millen Gallery to experience the power of nature-inspired art. Mention Capital Trees at the time of purchase and 10% of the sale will be donated to support our mission.

• Delight in Dresses!  It’s the last days to be inspired by the exuberance of Undeniable…The Designs of Christian Siriano and artist Ashley Longshore…on exhibit at The Branch until March 22nd.  And while you are there, imagine yourself at the most fun garden party…Tickets are on sale for MAD HATTER on April 24th!! 

• Tour private Gardens all over Virginia, and at home in RVA.  Tickets are on sale now for Historic Garden Week, Virginia’s largest open house, from April 18-25th.  Come visit me in the beautiful and historic Churchill Tour on Wednesday, April 22nd.  I would love to see you! 

• Herbs Galore and so much more!  On April 25th, enjoy live music & shopping for herbs, annuals, perennials, vegetables, trees and crafts on the Carriage House Lawn at Maymont. Tickets are $10

• Immerse in Architecture and Design.  Join Modern Richmond for an in-depth look at the history and legacy of architects Bud Hyland and Page Highfill, pioneers of modern architecture in Richmond. Lectures by Jody Lahendro, Mimi Sadler, Patrick Rand and Bryan Highfill on April 9-10; tour Five Highland-Highfill houses on April 11th.  

GARDEN GUIDANCE: March 

March is mercurial.  As I am writing this early in March, I am watching snow accumulate on the lawn outside.  Early daffodils are getting covered, and I am hoping my early Spring Camellia blossoms don’t freeze.  Only yesterday, I was walking my dog in a tank top and shorts.  The warm breeze and birdsong seemed to promise we had turned the corner. Nature seems to mirror life sometimes, shifting from one extreme to another.  

Yesterday’s sunshine can shift into today’s snow flurry.  Today’s weather was in keeping with mercurial March.  A 40-degree temperature drop in ONE day is challenging for plants and people. How do we adjust to these shifts?  Is it time to tidy up, or do we wait? My advice is to be flexible and look to cues from your own garden rather than a date on the calendar.  Right now, the pollinators will appreciate us leaving their blankets on until the weather is consistently in the 50s for several days.  But how do I reconcile my love of a tidy border with my love of pollinators?

I met with ecological gardener Sami Dean, of Goldfinch Ecological Gardening, to get some insight.  She advised me to create a pollinator border of leaves towards the back of the bed.  The front of the border I can edge and mulch if I wish.  She encouraged me to keep the stems in my planting beds to provide habitat for overwintering pollinators and to feed my soil.  My mind at ease, I’m ready for a little March Madness in the garden. 

March Garden Guidance  

• Assess your Garden Beds and make a note if you will need to refresh Mulch next month.  I’m planning to move my leaves back and create a crisp border in the front with mulch.  BUT you don’t have to do this…you can leave it be if you like.  Be sure to get your leaves off the lawn.  

• Mulch your beds before weed seeds start to germinate if you have bare ground. If you have left the leaves or have a dense perennial coverage, you may not need it.  

• Care for Trees and Shrubs by removing dead, diseased, or Damaged Limbs.  For example, yellowed foliage caused by Winter burn on Boxwood can be pruned now.  Dead limbs can be removed. Broken limbs can be cleanly cut. Now is a great time to call an arborist to evaluate your tree canopy before the trees leaf out. 

• Time for a Trim? Evergreen and deciduous shrubs can be pruned now, or wait until next month.  Just know that pruning stimulates growth, and not to take more than 1/3 of your shrub at any one time. You can safely “deadhead” or remove old flowers from shrubs like Panicle Hydrangeas.  However, shrubs under three years old rarely need to be pruned.  

• DO NOT PRUNE SPRING BLOOMING SHRUBS. You will cut off this year's blooms.  Some spring-blooming evergreen examples of what NOT to prune now are azaleas, rhododendrons, mountain laurels, gardenias, and camellias. Some spring-blooming deciduous examples of what NOT to prune now are fothergilla, lilac, viburnum, and hydrangeas that bloom on old wood. 

• Pruning Roses. Drift roses should be cut back hard, just before new growth emerges. Cut the entire plant back to 4–12 inches above the ground to promote a dense, bushy shape and boost blooming. Remove any dead, damaged, or crossing canes to improve airflow.  Remove old foliage from Ornamental Roses and remove crossing canes to allow air flow with sharp hand pruners. Tie up climbing rose canes horizontally instead of vertically to produce more blooms. 

• Pruning Hydrangeas. Only prune Hydrangeas that bloom on new wood.  If you are unsure, just deadhead and wait until they bloom to determine your strategy.  (See below.) 

• Cut back the grasses.  Ideally, you cut back just before new growth emerges.

• Care for emerging Perennials by removing heavy debris around the crown. You may establish a pollinator border along the back of your bed with those leaves.  Wait to “Chop and Drop” Perennial foliage to create a perfect mulch next month. If the stems are hollow, leave the stems 12-18 inches high for solitary nesting bees and wasps. 

Deep Dive on Pruning Hydrangeas

If you are a little confused about what hydrangea to prune when, you are not alone.  In the Spring, your hydrangeas are sticks, and it may be hard to tell who is who.  Knowing your variety and timing your pruning is key to blooms in  Spring and Summer.  Here are some tips and tricks to make your spring cleaning easier. 

• Here’s the basic rule. If it blooms on new wood, you can prune it.  If it blooms on old wood, wait until after it blooms to prune.  

• Let it be. If you are unsure, let it be.  Take a picture when it blooms to identify it for next year.  Trust me, cutting off this season’s blooms can be very disappointing.

• Deadheading. It is safe to deadhead or remove old blossoms. Just give it a snap or a snip with hand pruners above the first bud. 

• Three Ds:  You can prune in regard to the three “Ds”:  Does your plant have any areas that are DEAD, DISEASED, or DAMAGED? You can safely remove with hand pruners or loppers. How do you know it’s dead? Dead wood is not green inside, snaps when you bend it, and may be hollow.  

The best way to ensure proper pruning techniques is to know your variety.  Most hydrangeas fall into one of five types: bigleaf, mountain, smooth, panicle, and oakleaf. Some form their flower buds on old wood.  Others form their flower buds on new wood in spring.  Knowing your variety and timing your pruning is key to blooms in Spring and Summer.  

Hydrangeas to Prune in Spring:  Hydrangeas that bloom on new wood.

• Panicle Hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata) like Limelight, Fire Light, Little Lime, and Pinky Winky. They love to be pruned, and they are very easy to grow and love.  

• Smooth Hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens) like Annabelle, Invincibelle & Incrediball. If you prune them hard or to the ground, you can expect them to flop.  Use a light hand or simply deadhead. 

Wait to prune these Hydrangeas until after they bloom: Hydrangeas that bloom on old wood.

• Oakleaf Hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia), like Alice, Gatsby Gal, Snow Queen, bloom in midsummer and don’t really need to be pruned unless necessary.  I love leaving the blooms to dry throughout the Fall.  

• Mountain Hydrangeas (Hydrangea serrata) bloom in Midsummer and also don’t have to be pruned unless you need to…damaged, dead, or diseased branches. 

• Bigleaf Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) that are not rebloomers, like Let’s Dance or Nikko Blue.  These are hardy garden favorites that have one season of bloom.  Pruning too early will remove this season’s blooms.

And what about the hybrid Hydrangeas that bloom on old and new Wood??   

Endless Summer Hydrangeas  (Hydrangea Macrophylla) are hybrids that bloom on old and new wood.  We love them because they have that mesmerizing blue bloom. I caution pruning these in case we get a late freeze.  Deadhead for now, and cut and come again this Summer. Do they reliably do well here? Not really.  Some folks call these “Endless Bummers”, but I have them and appreciate the good years of blue blooms. Enjoy! 

NATIVE PLANT SPOTLIGHT

Like a beautiful surprise, Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is blooming now along the James River in the wetland areas (see photo below).  The yellow haze of spicebush flowers is a harbinger of spring.   You will not be able to miss the bright yellow flowers that emerge before the leaves on this easy-going shrub, and it’s a wonderful alternative to Forsythia. In the garden, spicebush is a useful shrub in naturalistic plantings at the edges of lakes or ponds or in areas where you have moist soil.  It will thrive in full sun or part shade and has potential value in erosion control…great for around the river.  It is an important food plant for butterfly larvae, notably the spice bush swallowtail and the eastern tiger swallowtail. At maturity, the bright red fruits are loved by birds.  

It’s not too late to dream, to plan, and to create a plan for your Spring Garden!!  Now is the perfect time to begin a garden journal or sketch a plan.  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. 

-See you in the Garden, Wendell