Even when we know in our hearts that it is going to get cold again, the first warm days of early spring are an almost irresistible siren call to gardeners.
As early bulbs begin peeking out, the lingering stalks and flowerheads of last season’s perennials begin to look forlorn and shabby.
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Clean up tattered and winter-weary foliage of evergreen perennials such as Lenten roses so you can enjoy their early spring blooms. Selectively remove damaged leaves, rather than cutting the entire plants to the ground.
Deb Martin
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Tie up ornamental grasses with twine to make it easier to cut them off a few inches above ground. The twine lets you pick up the entire clump for easy removal, too.
Deb Martin
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Even when we know in our hearts that it is going to get cold again, the first warm days of early spring are an almost irresistible siren call to gardeners.
As early bulbs begin peeking out, the lingering stalks and flowerheads of last season’s perennials begin to look forlorn and shabby.
Perhaps you left them standing to provide shelter for overwintering pollinators or seeds for winter birds. Maybe you appreciate the architectural effects of tall stems and dried flowerheads glistening with snow, or maybe you simply got caught by winter’s early arrival and didn’t get around to cleaning things up in the fall.
To avoid undoing the kindness you extended to slumbering bees and butterflies, it’s best to have a plan that lets them emerge when they’re ready and scratches your itch to get your garden ready for a new season.
Take Stock and Take Your Time
Fight the urge to dive in and clear out beds and borders on the first day when temperatures climb above 60 degrees F (16 degrees C). Use spring’s earliest lovely days to assess and plan. Check trees and shrubs for dead or broken limbs and prune these out. Look for signs of new growth—it’s probably too early for most things but appreciate swelling buds or even early bloomers such as witch hazels (Hamamelis), snowdrops (Galanthus), and crocuses.
Check in on perennials and begin prioritizing what needs trimming or tidying. If spent hosta foliage remains in your garden, clean it up now to remove overwintering slug eggs. When the temperatures inevitably fall, retreat indoors to gather and ready your tools for when it’s truly time to clean up. For tidying up perennials, it’s helpful to have bypass pruners, sturdy garden scissors or shears, and a bin or tarp for collecting refuse. If you’ll also be tending to shrubs and trees, include a pair of loppers and a pruning saw, which can also be used to cut back clumps of ornamental grasses. A narrow rake is helpful for cleaning up trimmings from between the plants in your beds.
When It’s Time
For the good of native bees, butterflies, fireflies, and other overwintering beneficials, wait to clean up until temperatures reliably remain above 50 degrees F (10 degrees C) for at least a week. Other signs to follow in guiding your cleanup: wait until plum trees are finished blooming, when you begin mowing your yard regularly, or when apple trees begin blooming. All of these are indicators that temperatures are warm enough for emerging pollinators and also that there are flowers available to provide them with nectar.
What to Do
Cut back to the ground the dead stalks and flowerheads of perennials such as asters, black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, false indigo (Baptisia), Joe-Pye weed, mums, poppies, sedums, and yarrows.
Cut back dead foliage of ornamental grasses. To make this task easier, tie up clumps of grasses with twine and cut off the whole clump with a sharp machete or garden shears or a pruning saw (for thick stems). Many grasses have surprisingly sharp edges; wear gloves, long sleeves, and eye protection when undertaking this task.
Remove leaves and debris from around evergreen and semievergreen perennials such as Lenten roses (hellebores) and coralbells (Heuchera). Selectively trim off winter-damaged leaves so you can enjoy their early blossoms and bright green new foliage.
Don’t Do This
Resist the temptation to tidy up the foliage of spring-blooming bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. These plants need the energy from their leaves to replenish their bulbs for next year’s blooms. Go ahead and snip off their faded flowers to keep them from expending energy producing seeds but leave the leaves alone.
Protect Yourself
Unfortunately, native pollinators aren’t the only invertebrates that may be awakening in your gardens. Ticks hang out in leaf litter, too. Wear light-colored clothing to make it easy to spot them; apply repellents before you start working; and check yourself thoroughly after gardening.
Give Yourself Permission
If there’s a bed or border that you view from your window or that has a place of prominence in your landscape, allow yourself the grace to go ahead and clean it up on the schedule that suits your needs. Do your best to leave some portion of your gardens “messy” for the good of slumbering pollinators and other local fauna and tidy up the space you or passersby see most often. Nature is flexible and forgiving and willing to share, as long as you are, too!
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