It is now time, when the March weather with temperatures fluctuating from 40's in the morning to sometimes 70's by afternoon, to pay attention to the winter damaged leaves on perennials.
Emerging leaves will soon be popping up. It is always a comforting sight to behold the fresh tender green shoots without broken and brown leftovers of last season's leaves. Above is the first emerging shoots of Iris virginiana 'Contraband Girl' coming through the sad looking piled leaves of last season. I can cut these off with a simple scissors but this year they are easily pulled off by hand.
To prepare for this day's cleanup I tuck my loose fitting pants (I like the flexibility that sweatpants afford while bending over to cut and pull) into heavy cotton socks, then grab my ACE HARDWARE tool belt with scissors and FELCO pruners, pull on lightweight ATLAS gardening gloves and am out the door to get the wheelbarrow.
I'm starting in the driveway where I have Iris 'Eco Easter' draping over a container below a Dwarf Cryptomeria and also creeping along the edge of a raised bed. The leaves of this perennial are largely evergreen. This year's hard winter left them a bit raggedy so I am taking off damaged leaves being ever mindful of the newest tiny fresh leaf emerging, usually in the middle of the spray of leaves. ( picture on the left)
Hellebore leaves being the largest stand out and the damage, as you can see, makes the garden look sloppy. I have a lot of Hellebores and a lot to groom. Below you can see that this row looks perfectly fine but if I leave them on the plants, by mid summer they too will look untidy.
By March 15 hellebore leaves are splayed out flat on the ground and easy to trace back to the flowering stalks to cut off. There are two schools of thought about cutting last season's leaves of hellebores. First is to leave them on through the winter for an evergreen ground cover on the forest floor. The second is for those who are in smaller gardens and may also be hybridizers wanting to show off the flowering stalks that emerge from late January into March. The second method surely reduces Spring chores and showcases the differences in the colored calyxes to make selections for new introductions an easier task. I think both are viable alternatives for enjoying this incredible plant.
The old fronds of my many ferns (Autumn, Christmas, Tongue and Holly) are ready for their annual trim. Above to the right are Autumn Fern fronds collapsed against a stacked stone wall. In the left image you can see how large ( basketball sized ) the crown is after cutting the fronds. This fern was planted while the wall was being built 10 years ago. I placed a frog sculpture and my scissors on the crown to show you it's size. Below you can see the before and after of cutting Holly Fern fronds.
I always check the back of the fern fronds for the sori. These spores will eventually produce new ferns. So, I distribute the whole fronds throughout the Woodland in hopes of new ferns popping up in a few years time. Yes, patience is a virtue that gardening has taught me.
This is how one tiny Tongue Fern has traveled along the stacked stone over the years.
Acorus 'Ogon' (dwarf and full sized) add an exciting yellow spray to the garden floor. I also use Liriope and Carex species to this effect. Liriope can take a trim right to ground level, but Carex and Acorus require a close look and light grooming touch if they are to survive. Below you can see how I only took the tips off damaged leaves, sort of like a shaggy cut of bangs.
Dwarf conifers provide needed structure in my gardens but do capture fallen leaves and grooming them in spring takes only a swift brush over with my glove to reveal the pretty green needles. Below, I will take my pruners and hand clip the long growth to the left that is telling me that this Dwarf wants to revert to it's parent's original size.
Tender tips of Tricyrtis hirta are popping through the stone terrace and will be a tempting snack for the few bunnies that will surely be back this year. A simple wire cage covering them will provide protection and support as they mature.
This year with a busy designing schedule and aging body I have decided to devote an hour a day to this labor of love. And now the hour is up and the wheelbarrow is full. Be sure to leave 15 minutes on the end of your work period to clean up and be ready for the next phase of grooming your Gardens in Woodlands.
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