“We may think we are nurturing our garden, but of course it’s our garden that is really nurturing us.”
— Jenny Uglow
I love May (hopefully, the threat of snow is gone) and the awakening of our yards and gardens. But watch the temperature, I am very careful when I plant.
For southern Wisconsin, the average date is anywhere from mid-April to mid-May, with the area around Reedsburg and Baraboo typically experiencing the latest freezing temperature. I usually put my tomato and cucumber plants out Memorial weekend. If I put them out earlier, I will cover them. I cut the bottom out of milk jugs and it acts like a little greenhouse. Remove them as the plant outgrows the jug and the nights get warmer.
It’s time to start planning for planting, whether it be for vegetables or for butterflies and pollinators, especially our Monarchs. Many of these flowers that are Monarch’s favorite need a period of freezing in order to germinate. If you didn’t scatter seeds in your yard just before a snowfall, or cold you can stratify and germinate them indoors to give them a jump-start in spring or visit your local greenhouse and support them! Lots of FFA greenhouse sales happening, plus your local Master Gardener Sales. Some of the monarchs’ absolute favorites according to the UW-Madison Herbarium are as follows. These are my favorites too: " Anise Hyssop (Agastache Foeniculum), Blooms July- September " Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Blooms July- September " Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), Blooms June-August " Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Blooms June-October " New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), Blooms August-October " Sweet Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia subtomentosa), Blooms July-October Charles Dickens says it best: “It was the kind of March (or April) day when the sun shines hot, and the wind blows cold, when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade”. Very true words, and I know I’m itching to rake off those flower beds and the yard. But wait, when should I clean off those flower beds. Cleaning the beds is important to the health of the ego system. Many pollinators overwinter in the dead material you may want to remove. Cutting down the dead plant stems too early in the spring will disturb them before they have a chance to emerge. Wait as long as you can to do your spring garden clean up. Ideally, you should wait until the daytime temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees F for at least seven consecutive days. I like to take a rake and fluff the leaves a bit when my tulips start to emerge, but no raking yet. If you’re a serious gardener, you’ll be out in your garden the first warm day of spring, pick up those branches and other debris, but be careful walking in your beds, don’t compact the soil when it is wet.
As the weather warms, I take daily walks around my yard, I usually have my clippers and my Cobra garden tool with me and I prune back woody shrubs as soon as the danger of frost is past. I wait for signs of new growth on the lower stems and then trim. Spring blooming shrubs set their buds in the summer or fall of last year. So don’t prune before they bloom.
Cut back your ornamental grasses as soon as you can get to them, you don’t need to wait for new growth. I live in the country, so I actually burn my clumps of grasses. It has worked for years and does not hurt them, they will come back when they’re ready.
I trim the roses (knock out) in the spring, and just as the leaf buds begin to plump up. I also, do not cover the bushes, it seems to invite pests and disease.
As the weather evens out, I start weeding, this is where I use my Cobra. I’ve already started to attack the Garlic Mustard that never seems to go away, and then don’t forget the Poke Weed. Most of the weeds you clean up can go into your compost pile, except garlic mustard and poke weed, they need to be bagged and put in the garbage, or if you can burn it, please do! After my plants are up and the ground is dry enough to walk on, then I start mulching. This sure helps keep the weeds under control. Also, before mulching, this is a good time to propagate, divide and move your plants.
They recover quickly, are easier to dig, and then they are raring to grow. There always seems to be a friend out there that needs more plants, please share! If you have plants that tend to flop over, this is a good time to stake them; peonies, New England asters, False Indigo (Baptisia), to name a few.
For more information or if you have questions about your yard or gardens, contact UW Extension to be put in touch with a local Master Gardener. Watch for more information concerning the annual Green County Master Gardeners plant sale, scheduled for Saturday, May 11 (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) at Bloomin Pickets, W7270 Melvin Rd, Monroe, WI 53566.
— Lynn Lokken is a Green County Master Gardener with the University of Wisconsin-Extension. She can be reached at lokken@wekz.net.
