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Ask the gardener: How do we balance caring for our gardens and ecological stewardship?
Campaigns like “leave the leaves” and “save the stems” teach us that gardens are habitats for pollinators and insects. What’s happening in your garden as signs of spring emerge?
“Balance,” “poise,” and “equilibrium” are all words that can broadly describe nature and seem especially fitting as we mark the passing of the spring equinox. Light will outshine the darkness from now until mid-September — an important milestone for those who find the long, dark winter days challenging. This moment is one of joy and celebration, heralding the official beginning of spring when plant life sheds its dormancy and the abundance and abandon of growth resume.
The great choreography of life begins with insects emerging, migratory birds arriving, and all manner of flying, crawling, slithering, hopping, and jumping creatures timing their debut with the reemergence of plants.
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Just last week, the chorus of spring peepers reached my ears from the long-dormant and largely silent marsh behind my garden, yet another welcome sign of nature’s reawakening. Spring peepers are incredible organisms that have developed an amazing strategy to survive winter. The small brown frogs burrow into soft mud or beneath fallen leaves as winter approaches, seeking the insulation the earth provides (snow cover helps, too). Internally, their tiny livers produce massive amounts of glucose (sugars) and glycerol, which they pump into their cells to act as an antifreeze. They also pump water out of their cells into the space between cells, thereby reducing the water content that could crystallize and cause damage. These physiologic preparations allow the tiny frog to freeze completely solid, so much so that even its heart and organs stop. Once the spring thaw arrives, the process reverses, and the frogs emerge ready to mate and peep again. Hearing the calls of the spring peeper reminds me of just how exquisitely adapted the organisms of New England are for the conditions they must survive. I wonder what other living things might be lurking in the fallen leaves or dormant stems of my garden.
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Wild creatures are not the only ones imbued with energy and enthusiasm once warmer weather and longer days arrive. Gardeners have been patiently waiting for the snow to melt so they can get back outside and assess what the winter has left behind.
For many, the first urge is to clean up, cut back, rake out, and tidy up. This natural compulsion sometimes leads us to think of spring as a clean slate, a time to start completely fresh. However, campaigns such as “leave the leaves” and “save the stems” teach us that gardens are habitats for overwintering pollinators, moths, butterflies, and other insects.
How do we find the right balance between caring for our gardens and ecological garden stewardship? It is in the spirit of the equilibrium that we should approach these tasks. Cutting back everything, raking away all the leaves, and putting down a thick layer of new mulch might represent one extreme, while doing nothing could be seen as a dereliction of a homeowner’s obligation to care of their property.
Hopefully, you allowed your perennial stems to remain over winter, enjoying the structure of the seedheads and the subtle tones of brown, tan, and black. One observation I made this winter was which stems were stout enough to withstand heavy snow accumulations. For the stems that were still standing, I cut them back to between 12 and 18 inches in height. I also left a fair amount of the fallen stems in place.
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Why not cut them back all the way and start fresh? To provide nesting habitat for pollinators. Interestingly, cavity-nesting pollinators prefer last year’s stems over those I just cut back, meaning the stems will continue to dry out this year before becoming a home for bees. You do not need to leave all stems behind, but between half and a third of the stems should suffice, and are certainly better than if you removed every single one. By adopting this balanced approach, the garden can still appear well cared for and intentional in supporting your local pollinators.
A similar viewpoint works for leaves and mulch. A recent study from Maryland found that last year’s leaves harbor a staggering diversity of insects, including beetles, flies, and spiders, as well as pollinators and moths. If you left those leaves in place last fall, no need to do anything! If your garden contains low-growing plants that might struggle through the leaves, a light raking will benefit them. And you can always relocate leaves that were blown around during winter back into your planting beds to cover any bare or thin spots.
The more we recognize the ecological value of gardens, the more we can take subtle, nuanced steps to ensure our gardens are safe and welcoming spaces for humans and wildlife. Plant selection is one facet of gardening; how we choose to maintain our gardens is hugely impactful and directly correlated with the life we support within them. We are a part of nature, not apart from her.
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Happy Spring!
Ulrich Lorimer is the director of horticulture at the Native Plant Trust in Framingham. Send your gardening questions, along with your name/initials and hometown, to [email protected]
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