Spruce Up for Spring!

Leaves

The leaves we thought we were supposed to rake and take out from our gardens protect the bumblebee nests we want for a season of wonderful fruits and flowers. In the areas below our oaks and maple trees, a layer of leaves protects the chrysalis and cocoons of the butterflies formed in these host trees’ branches last season. Plus, the leaves we leave on the ground will fertilize our gardens with precisely the nutrients that our plants, trees and shrubs require. Really

Perennial Stems

We also thought we were supposed to remove last year’s perennial stalks. But in fact, cutting them instead to varying heights between 12-24” creates nesting sites for over 400 species of threatened native bees. Won’t the stalks look unkempt? No worries, the new leaves and stems will soon hide the older stalks from all but our important native pollinators for their two-year nesting cycle.