Snow better time than now…

Finally, Anne Arundel County received our first big snowstorm in what seems like forever. It was a treat to see the landscape covered in a white carpet of fresh snow, snow covered branches, and birds enjoying the many seedheads still standing high after the storm. It’s hard to believe spring is right around the corner and if you are like me, you miss being outside each day getting your hands dirty.

There are plenty of things you can do on warm(er) winter days to prepare your landscape and get a jump on the spring tasks. See below for a list of things you can do NOW so you can get a jumpstart on spring!

Winter Invasive Plant Control: Winter is a great time to focus on removing invasive species from your garden or project area. Many invasive vines such as English ivy (Hedera helix), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), and Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) are easily recognizable and easier to get to in the winter. Other invasives like vinca (Vinca major), wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei), and Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolate) are still green and can be pulled this time of year before they take off in the spring. Just remember to get the roots!
Sowing Native Seeds: Growing native plants from seed can be a long process but is very rewarding. Many species are easily grown from seed. However, some require cold stratification (preparing the seed for germination). You can purchase native seed online or collect seeds from your own yard. There are many techniques such as the “milk jug method” which has become very popular. To learn more about growing plants from seed using this technique, check out Yale’s Milk Jug Wildflower Propagation Guide or join our RePollinate Anne Arundel team for a Winter Sowing Demonstration Workshop at the USGS Bee Lab on January 18th from 10:00AM- 2:00PM.
Prune Broken Branches: Winter is a great time to prune your trees and shrubs as needed to remove dead, diseased, and broken branches. Just remember that pruning certain species now can impact blooms and fruits for this coming year, so feel free to check out my post from last spring to make sure you don’t do more damage than good.

So, take some time this winter to do some of the busy work listed above to get a jumpstart on spring. That way when spring rolls around, you can focus on all the fun things like planting all 100 of your newly germinated native seedlings.

Just a sugg-Jeff-tion!