by Aina R Ferris, The Native Explorer co-founder
Grow Native! and the MO Prairie Foundation have an extensive native landscape care calendar. It's a guide for professional landscapers, but is equally beneficial to home gardeners like you and me.
The excerpt below is a direct quote from the Winter maintenance schedule. To view the entire calendar in one go, visit this link: https://grownative.org/learn/native-landscape-care-calendar/
February - March
In late February to early March, trim dead sedge foliage before plants leaf out in early spring.
Continue watering newly planted trees and shrubs as necessary. Water general plantings during winter drought periods. This is especially important. While everything may look “dead,” most root systems continue growing until the ground freezes solid. Throughout the winter the ground may freeze and thaw multiple times and during these thaw cycles roots continue taking up moisture. If a week goes by without adequate moisture (less than 1 inch) or if the wind blows strongly for several days in a row, trees and shrubs can become desiccated and/or stressed, causing potential future issues or even premature death. If adequate precipitation (less than 1 inch) has not occurred for a week, use a hose (or watering can) and soak the soil around each newly planted shrub and tree, pausing over the roots for at least 10 to 20 seconds. This small contribution of moisture will yield a tenfold reward when the tree buds open in spring.
While everything may look "dead" in the winter, most root systems continue growing until the ground freezes solid. During a winter drought, water general plantings, especially ones just planted in the fall.
Continue pruning trees, shrubs, and woody vines through late March before they leaf out in order to maintain the overall aesthetic appearance of the plant, rejuvenate the plant’s growth, or remove dead, dying, or crossing branches. Prune any branches in parking lots and sidewalks that interfere with public safety, but never prune more than 25% of live growth, or it could prove fatal to the specimen. This Arbor Day Foundation publication offers useful instructions for pruning trees.
Never prune more than 25% of live growth for trees, shrubs and woody vines. It could prove fatal to the plant.
Leaving grass and herbaceous perennials standing in winter provides cover, food, and nesting material for wildlife. If you choose to trim a significant amount of spent vegetation, instead of cutting flush to the ground, trim to 8 to 22 inches high so that the following growing season, native bees that nest in stems can lay eggs in them. Brush piles and stumps provide habitat for many overwintering creatures.
Most bare-rooted trees and shrubs should be planted in February or early March.
If burning grass clumps or prairie plantings, be mindful of local burning ordinances and the surroundings, especially buildings and overhead utility lines.
Winter sun, wind, and cold temperatures can bleach and dry out evergreen foliage, damage bark, injure or kill branches, flower buds, and roots. Snow and ice can break branches and topple entire trees. Salt used for deicing streets, sidewalks and parking lots is harmful to landscape plants. You may wish to consult this list of salt-tolerant natives for garden planning. Where possible, consider using sand instead of salt.
Deicing salt is harmful to landscape plants. However, there are salt-tolerant natives.*
Winter food shortages force rodents and deer to feed on bark, twigs, flower buds, and leaves, injuring and sometimes killing trees and shrubs. Protect young trees and sensitive plants from herbivory.
Practicing mindful landscape maintenance in the wintertime should also benefit humans. If you reside in a community that encourages a tidy front lawn, please prune spent native plants accordingly so that they don't spill onto the sidewalk or roadway and pose as a hazard to your neighbors. Lastly, a tidy yard is a means of correcting the impression that a "wild" lawn is an unkempt and weedy one.
*Author's Note: Did you know that Black-eyed Susan is a salt-tolerant native perennial? For a list of salt-tolerant native Missouri plants, visit the Grow Native! website's link: https://grownative.org/salt-tolerant-native-plants/
Comments