The Gardening Coach

Yes yes yes! Mulch with ground-covering plants!

Important advice!

https://www.wired.com/2015/04/youre-worrying-wrong-bees/

This really clarifies garden clean-up do's and dont's.

These cones contain the future of our hemlocks, tiny winged seeds full of potential. Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is a tree of old forests, where centurie...s of leaf litter have prepared the rich, cool soils it prefers. When the shade cast by other trees grows too dense for their own progeny to survive, hemlock moves in. Achingly slow yet steady in growth, it eventually towers over its neighbors until only beech can compete. Hemlocks grow best on slopes, taking the brunt of rain and snow storms, their roots clutching rock and boulder in viselike grip. Truly a miracle that this promise resides in such a small vessel as these cones. Photo: Cones of Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), Uli Lorimer See more

Please use non-invasive species of carex in your gardens!

This will come in handy in spring and summer! https://www.beesinyourbackyard.com//bumble-bees-of-north-a

Peat moss, and/or sphagnum moss, grows in bogs and fens and creates tremendously important habitat. Not only does this habitat provide for common and rare spec...ies, the peat can accumulate a depth of many meters and store large amounts of carbon, which helps to reduce global warming. Digging from and destroying these peat bogs for garden use is a terrible shame. Although peat it is a terrific soil conditioner that increases the soil's capacity to hold water and nutrients, there is no excuse, especially today with the climate crisis, to continue the use of peat. Please look for peat-free compost mixes, or use homemade compost and leaf mould. www.healthyyards.org See more

Did you know? In addition to being the name of our new first family, Bidens is also a genus of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae. The common name...s, which include Spanish needles, tickseeds, and tickseed sunflowers, refer to the fruits of the plants, most of which are bristly and barbed, with two sharp tufts of hair at the end. Bidens species grow throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world; most occur in the Americas, Africa, and Polynesia, with a few in Europe and Asia. Bidens is closely related to the American genus Coreopsis, and the genera can sometimes be difficult to tell apart. #bidens #bidensflower #bidensferulifolia #spanishneedles #tickseed #asteraceae #firstfamily #growth See more

Late winter is a great time to prune your landscape trees. Pruning can be done on smaller trees to maintain shape and promote vigor. Before pruning a young tr...ee, it is important to consider the natural form and desired future growth of the tree. Some trees like pines and sycamores have strong central trunks and require little pruning. Others, such as oaks and maples, branch out more. Pruning should accentuate the natural branching habit of a tree and should also correct structural problems. By correcting any defect in the structure of a young tree, pruning helps develop a mechanically stronger and healthier tree. https://extension.psu.edu/pruning-landscape-trees