The do’s and don’ts of spring cleaning your yard

“Balance,” “balance,” and “equilibrium” are all words that can broadly describe nature and seem particularly appropriate as we celebrate the passing of the vernal equinox. Light will outweigh darkness between now and mid-September — an important milestone for those who find the long, dark days of winter difficult. This moment is one of joy and celebration, marking the official start of spring when plant life shakes off its dormancy and abundance and abandon resume.

The great choreography of life begins with the appearance of insects, the arrival of migratory birds, and all manner of flying, crawling, gliding, jumping creatures coinciding with the resurgence of plants.

Just last week, chorus Spring peepers It reached my ears from the marsh that lay dormant and largely silent behind my garden, another welcome sign of nature waking up. Spring peepers are amazing organisms that have developed an amazing strategy to survive the winter. Little brown frogs dig holes in soft mud or under fallen leaves as winter approaches, seeking the insulation provided by the ground (snow cover also helps). Internally, their little livers produce huge amounts of glucose (sugars) and glycerol, which they pump into their cells to act as antifreeze. They also pump water from their cells into the space between cells, reducing the water content that can crystallize and cause damage. These physiological preparations allow the young frog to freeze completely, to the point that 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 spring peepers reminds me how exquisitely adapted New England organisms are to the conditions they must survive. I wonder what other organisms might be lurking in the fallen leaves or dormant stems in my garden.

Wild creatures aren’t the only ones brimming with energy and enthusiasm once warmer weather and longer days arrive. Gardeners anxiously wait for the snow to melt so they can get back outside and take stock of what winter has left behind.

For many, the first impulse is to clean, downsize, declutter, and declutter. This natural compulsion sometimes leads us to think of spring as a clean slate, a time to start completely over. However, campaigns such as “Leave the papers” and “Save the legs” We learned that gardens are habitats for pollinators, moths, butterflies and other overwintering insects.

How can we find the right balance between caring for our gardens and managing ecological gardens? We should approach these tasks in a spirit of balance. Cutting back everything, removing all the leaves, and laying down a thick layer of new mulch may represent one extreme, while doing nothing could be seen as a dereliction of the homeowner’s commitment to taking care of their property.

Hopefully you’ve allowed your perennial stems to survive the winter, enjoying the structure of the seed heads and the subtle colors of brown, tan and black. One observation I made this winter was that the stems were strong enough to withstand heavy snow accumulations. For the stems that were still standing, I cut them back to a height of 12 to 18 inches. I also left a fair amount of fallen stems in place.

Why not cut it completely and start over? To provide nesting habitat for pollinators. Interestingly, cavity-nesting pollinators prefer last year’s stems to those you just cut, meaning the stems will continue to dry out this year before they become a home for bees. You don’t need to leave all the stems behind, but between half and a third of the stems should be sufficient, which is certainly better than if you removed each one individually. By adopting this balanced approach, a garden can still appear like it is well cared for and intentional in supporting native pollinators.

A similar view works on leaves and mulch. Modern Study from Maryland I found that last year’s leaves harbor an amazing diversity of insects, including beetles, flies and spiders, as well as pollinators and moths. If you left those leaves in place last fall, there’s no need to do anything! If your garden has low-growing plants that may struggle through the leaves, light raking will benefit them. And you can always move leaves that have been blown over the winter into your planting beds to cover any bare or thin spots.

The more we understand the environmental value of gardens, the more we can take careful and careful steps to ensure our gardens are safe and welcoming spaces for humans and wildlife. Plant selection is one aspect of gardening. How we choose to maintain our gardens has a huge impact and is directly linked to the life we ​​support within them. We are part of nature, not separate from it.

Happy spring!

Ulrich Lorimer is director of horticulture at the Native Plant Trust in Framingham. Send your gardening questions, along with your name/initials and hometown, to [email protected]