Jeanne McRight
Apr 29, 20211 min
Updated: Apr 30, 2021
Now it’s pretty safe to cut down dead stems, but leave the lower 30 cm (a
foot) to protect the crowns of your newly-emerged plants. The plants will
soon grow to cover these shortened stems.
Compost and rotted leaves are perfect for top-dressing around your plants,
to improve soil texture and porosity, and to nurture your soil’s microorganisms
Emerging foxglove beardtongue in their second year, showing a light application of mulch around the plants. Dead stems have been clipped off and placed on the ground beside the plants.
Lightly mulch your young native plant gardens until they are big enough to
fill in the spaces between them. This usually happens in their third year.
Shredded bark is good. You can also break up your dead stems and use as
mulch!
Each spring…remove a little more of your lawn and expand your garden.
Tuck native plants into your vegetable garden. They attract beneficial
insects that devour pests.
This is a great time to plant native flowering shrubs and trees! Our native
oaks, cherries and willows top the list of species valuable to wildlife.
Harden off your indoor seedlings for at least a week when weather warms
in early May. Put in a sheltered spot outdoors (bring indoors if frost
threatens) before planting in the garden in mid-late May.
The foxgloves will grow and in June look like this. This lovely garden combination features foxglove beardtongue (white) with blue vervain and salvia (purple) and wild bergamot (foreground, not yet blooming).