SPRING CLEANING: Debris Clean-up

As the snow disappears and a brown world emerges, most gardeners anxiously await the burst of green that is ushered in by warmer temperatures and Spring rains. In our area, I know many people feel that the ‘brown season’ (that period between snow melt and Spring green-up) lasts for an eternity; for me it is fleeting- mainly because there is so much to do to prepare the gardens for the growing season ahead!

Buds bursting to bloom- a sure sign of Spring. (Photo credit: Mohammad Ali Jafarian)

As soon as the ground is not too soggy, and the threat of extreme cold has passed, I begin my clean-ups -usually the middle of April. Although I spend the later half of March and beginning of April doing my dormant season pruning, it is during my Spring clean-ups that I get myself reaquainted with my gardens, greet them after a long winter, see what has changed, as well as jog my memory on consistent issues that need to be addressed in the months ahead. During this time, I cover every square meter of the garden to not only make it look great, but also to complete a thorough assessment of it and come up with my game plan for the growing season.

Clean-up is pretty basic and meditative (to be read ‘tedious’ if you do not like repetitive tasks!). Essentially I am uncovering the garden from the debris (mainly leaves) that swirled around and deposited in the garden late in the fall, or dropped on it over the course of the winter. I am also cutting back perennials that I left up over the winter for the purpose of ‘winter interest’... more on this in my next post! Now back to ‘debris’…

Debris: Friend or Foe?

Ah. The great debate.

In nature, nutrients are recycled. In simple terms, plants take up nutrients from the soil and use them to grow biomass such as wood, leaves, flowers, seeds, etc. When things such as leaves drop in the fall, they eventually break down and the nutrients go back into the soil to be used by plants once again. Unfortunately in urban environments, we make it an annual ritual to strip away everything that our plants drop onto our properties. That’s a whole lot of nutrients being carted away to municipal compost sites. We cut off the nutrient cycle and as a result, in the long term, our gardens suffer.

So how much ‘organic matter’ should gardeners leave on their garden beds? Although some leaves left to decompose on beds are good (they add nutrients and organic matter to the soil- definitely a good thing), too many can pose a problem in an ornamental garden. Piles of leaves (especially really thick ones) can easily smother plants, especially when left on groundcovers or the foliage of evergreens.

Leaf litter (Photo credit: Hq Lightroom)

Ultimately, the amount of ‘debris’ left on a garden is the personal preference of the gardener (many gardeners can turn a blind eye to some leaf litter on the beds, reassured by the fact that they are ‘feeding’ their soil and therefore their plants). I am in the business of trying to make gardens look immaculate. While not ideal from an ‘ecological perspective’, I generally remove all debris from the beds (except for old mulch, which I keep on the beds) so that they look tidy. With that said, it is always at the forefront of my mind that what I remove, I must replace in the form of amendments (manures, compost, mulch) at a later date. So, if you are like me and constantly removing organic matter from your garden, then please join me in this really important pledge…

I, [insert your name here], promise you, my garden, that what I take away from you in the form of ‘debris’, I will give back to you in the form of amendments later in the growing season.

Regardless of your overall debris tolerance, there is always clean-up to do in the Spring. I have found that there are three key areas to keep in mind when cleaning out leaves. If you focus on these areas, you can maximize the well-being of your plants… as well as the tidiness level of your garden.

1) LEAF MATS ON GROUNDCOVERS AND EVERGREENS

Beware!!! Mats of leaves, especially thick ones such as those from oak trees (Quercus spp.), left on groundcovers, evergreens, and emerging perennials can easily smother foliage or emerging growth! Do your plants a favour and remove these leaves- your garden will look a million times better too!

From left to right: Cotoneaster sp. covered with leaf litter from the winter; Cotoneaster sp. with leaf litter picked out

From left to right: Leaves in and around a patch of Pachysandra terminalis (Japanese spurge); a much happier Pachysandra patch with the leaves removed

2) THE BASES OF SHRUBS

So I have a confession- leaves stuck within the bases of shrubs drive me absolutely CRAZY! (Ak! So messy!) So it goes without saying that I spend time picking these leaves out. My eyes not only breathe a sigh of relief, but the shrubs do too. A pile-up of rotting leaves can act the same as a pile of mulch against the base of shrubs- a trap for moisture which can in turn lead to rot and diseases. A build-up of leaves can also create a cozy little home for insect pests too. So you may not be bothered by the look of leaves trapped within your shrubs, and you may curse me as you are picking them out, but your shrubs will thank you. Listen carefully… they speak quietly :)

From left to right: Leaves trapped within Spirea branches don’t seem to look too bad… until you pick them out and you are left with a much tidier bed. Ah. Satisfaction.

3) LEAVES HUNG-UP IN THE FOLIAGE OF PLANTS

Leaves and fallen branches hung up within small trees and shrubs is another easy ‘issue’ to address that can make a big difference in how tidy a garden looks. It’s an easy thing to overlook (especially when you have your head down in the dirt) but it’s an excuse to look up and enjoy the springtime garden.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Sigh. It’s good to be back in the dirt.

HAPPY SPRING CLEANING!