Hello everyone! It’s your friendly gardener on Main Street, coming at you with another wild and wacky gardening thought. Just for a minute, let us role play, shall we? Let’s say you are in your tenth day of quarantine this winter. You have stayed inside and watched everything Netflix has to offer, and you are either going to start swinging the frying pan at the nearest household member, or you’ll just lay down and cry. Perhaps the short, overcast days have you down and you need something to perk up your wintry rest. Well, I have a solution for you: weed. You might think me crazy, but why not?
If this winter trends toward the mild, or if we “thaw” a stretch of mild weather heading our way (see what I did there?), weeding is a golden opportunity you might not want to miss. Buried beneath the snow and ice, those pesky winter annual weeds are just waiting for spring to arrive so they can spread like wildfire throughout the flower bed. Why not get a jump on the spring season and do a bit of weed removal now? Of course, if the ground is frozen, or otherwise unyielding to your strenuous efforts, then obviously you will need to catch them later.
Weeding is not the only “out of season” thing you can do in your garden during a winter thaw. Late fall through very early spring is a golden time to spread compost in the garden. Plants have died back and the ground is cleared, making spreading humic joy an easier task. Wellfield staff often utilize that time frame to spread compost and mulch on a large scale.
Whatever your situation, there may be some good opportunities heading your way to get a head start on those weeds and make your neighbors jealous this spring when they are frantically pulling weeds while you are catching up on your streaming.
Josh Steffen, Horticulture and Facilities Manager
Missed any of Josh’s latest posts? Here are some recent ones:
- What Horticulture means to me
What does Horticulture mean to you? Today, one of our Lead Horticulturists, Kyle, tells us what it means to him – his response may surprise you (and his photos will amaze you!) - A beacon of Autumn: Red Maple, October’s Native of the Month
The Red Maple, or Acer rubrum, is Wellfield’s October native plant of the month. - September’s Native Plant of the Month: Pawpaw Tree
Wellfield’s native plant of the month is the Asimina triloba, or Pawpaw tree. Click the link to learn more! - Native Plant of the Month (August) – Swamp Rose Mallow
August’s native plant of the month at Wellfield Botanic Gardens is Swamp Rose Mallow, a native hibiscus species found in various areas of our gardens. - The Tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa)
Tomatillos are almost ready to harvest at Wellfield Botanic Gardens – today, Ariana looks at the history and traits of this fruit from the nightshade family.
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Heck, for us, this is the busy season, with all the pruning! Weeding is necessary, but gets delayed.