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Hi, guys!
Happy Mother’s Day to all the great moms out there — I hope you have a joyful and relaxing day!
Around here, Mother’s Day is considered gardening-kickoff day. It’s a good day for garden centers and an even better day for gardeners because we finally get to plant our annuals and vegetable seedlings.
Prime planting time varies depending on where you live, of course, but it’s considered ballpark for zones 5b through 8, which covers a good chunk of the continental US where the last frost date should be in the rear-view mirror.
I planted a lot (a LOT) of perennials on Friday and discovered some of them were root-bound when I slipped them out of their pots.
When roots reach the sides of the containers they’re growing in, they have nowhere to grow but around and around the inside perimeter of the pot until they ultimately strangle themselves. But if this is caught in time, and the roots are still healthy, they can be rescued by teasing them apart, which reminds them to grow outward.
This is really easy, and you can use a gardening (or kitchen) fork, pruners or even your bare hands. Gently pry the root ball apart or make several pruning cuts all around it or scrape it with a fork just before planting. That’s it.
The goal is to break the roots a bit, and once you do, their cut ends will grow outward into the soil, where they can avail themselves of water and nutrients.
📬 Ask Jessica
We need to move on, so this will be the last No Mow May letter published (until next year, anyway), but this is the first opposing viewpoint I received, so it’s worth sharing.
DEAR JESSICA: I just read your article critiquing No Mow May. I take exception with several of your premises.
First off, long grass does encourage snakes. Why is this bad? They are an excellent form of rodent control. Also, you endorse the initiative of Leave The Leaves but fail to acknowledge that if you mow your grass in early May, you are chopping up those leaves and the pupae and eggs within. Finally, you point out that No Mow May may lead to people using more pesticides to control invasive weeds. I know of no one that uses pesticides for weed control. Assuming you meant herbicides, everyone I’ve talked to welcomes those newly appearing dandelions and violets. Why would we try to eliminate the very plants we are trying to encourage?
We in Dubuque have just launched the No Mow May initiative. Reprinting your article in our local paper could potentially throw cold water on the hard work and research we put into this effort. We distribute a flyer with each yard sign that covers mowing strategies…and resources to help people plant beneficial native plants. We view it as a way to engage homeowners who might not have even thought about the pollinator demise. —Kenneth Bichell, Dubuque, Iowa
DEAR KENNETH: I’m so glad you’re working in your community to educate residents about native plants and pollinator demise. To address your concerns:
You are correct that snakes can be beneficial, as they control rodent populations. But in a lawn, they can pose a hazard to people and pets. No Mow May is a temporary, one-month wilding that aims to return an overgrown lawn to a manicured one at the end of the month. The snake population may be problematic afterward.
Homeowners who want a lawn but understand the importance of supporting pollinators may be severely disappointed in June when they attempt to restore it for the reasons covered in the column.
Concerning Leave the Leaves, it’s best not to allow fallen leaves to remain on the lawn in autumn but rather push them into flower beds, under trees, etc., where they will provide shelter for beneficial insects as well as decompose to enrich the soil. Allowed to remain on the lawn over winter into spring could result in lawn diseases and, as you point out, killing pollinators before they emerge from dormancy if the grass is cut before then (and it often is).
The term “pesticides” actually encompasses insecticides, herbicides and fungicides. Unfortunately, some folks do use insecticides on their lawns, which is another problem I’ll tackle at another time, but I was referring to herbicides (weed killers) in this instance.
I agree dandelions and other (non-invasive) “weeds” should be left alone, but many lawn-loving homeowners do not agree. I recommend planting clover in the lawn to provide the best of both worlds if only those who strive for the perfect lawn would see the beauty in it.
Instead of not mowing for one month, I encourage removing or reducing lawns permanently. Replacing turfgrass -- or sections of it -- with native plants is one of the best ways to support pollinators and other beneficial insects.
💡 If you do one thing this week…
Give your beds and borders a crisp edging. You’ll be surprised at the difference it makes!
Also, test your soil!
👏 Sunday Shoutout
Lori Hunt of Ipswich, Massachusetts, sent in this lovely photo of a sunflower field, taken a few years ago in September.
Send in your photo, and you could be featured next (bonus points if you’re in the photo!)
🏆 Giveaway winners
Congratulations to The Weekly Dirt readers Terri Donahue (Curious Gardener kids gardening set) and Pat Murray (“Soil”), who were randomly selected in last week’s Mother’s Day giveaway!
📰This week in my Associated Press gardening column
I write a weekly gardening column for the AP, so you might have seen my byline in your local paper (or news website) — wherever in the world you happen to be. In case you miss it, though, I’ll post the most recent here every week.Last week, I went against the grain and wrote about why No Mow May is a terrible idea. Somebody had to do it.
Last week, I went against the grain and wrote about why No Mow May is a terrible idea. Somebody had to do it.
Before that, I wrote about soil pH, why it’s essential for healthy plants, how to test it and what to do if it’s out of whack.
A week prior: tips for selecting trees that will survive climate change and what to do about less-resilient ones you may already have in your yard.
You can read all my AP gardening columns here.
📚📺🎵 Random things I enjoyed this week
You might remember I removed (had someone remove) a ton of invasive Liriope (aka monkey grass) last fall, and many of the mature plants in my beds were lost to collateral damage.
So I started working on my new blank canvases this week, planting the 15 large native perennials (common milkweeds, butterfly milkweeds, purple coneflowers, bee balms and New York asters) I told you about last week, as well as 25 purple and white Liatris (gayfeather) corms and a few other plants I may or may not have purchased on a whim 🤐. My new Rotoshovel auger helped a great deal (if you’re interested, you can see it here).
I also relocated some fledgling anise hyssop, catmints and other perennials from the “maternity ward” strip on the side of my house to the main beds and began hardening off my tomatoes, peppers, Genovese basil, lemon basil, squash and tarragon (which I’ve never grown nor cooked with, so if you have ideas for using it, let me know).
I also built (ok, assembled) a 7 1/2-foot arbor.
And I’ve been enjoying the return of Barry to HBO. Anybody else?
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📧 How’m I doing?
I welcome your comments and suggestions, so please send them along — as well as any topics you’d like to see covered and questions you’d like answered in the Ask Jessica section.
How to save a pot-bound plant from girdled roots
Fantastic article Jessica, and to the point on How to save a plant from girdled roots. Have never found an easier way for this task, when replanting potted plants. I published another article that our readers also found very helpful - perhaps your subscribers might as well. https://besthomegear.com/best-time-to-aerate-and-overseed-lawn/
Thanks again, Kevin
You make such good sense! I mowed my lawn yesterday. It’s already an unmanicured area and the six postage stamps only occupy about 1500 sq ft. But, if I don’t keep up with the mowing, the hawkweed will win.
I have a question. I have blue irises that are in decline because they are at the edge of a 250 sq ft sloped space that is waist high. They are bordered by day lilies, spirea, hostas and greater celendine. Not far away is a Japanese knotweed. Those plants seem to be nosing out the irises which last bloomed in 2021. In another space I have yellow irises near our driveway which are in a bed that also has Irish snow, milkweed and are in the shade of a cherry tree. There are only a few iris plants but one has a stem with a future flower.
If I try and clear around the irises I feel the same plants will encroach all over again or an invasive will sneak in. Do I a physical barrier for the irises and keep everything else out?