What You Should Plant This Spring

What You Should Plant This Spring 

Written By Amy Yarger, Senior Director of Horticulture, Butterfly Pavilion In many parts of the country, April can be an unpredictable month. One day, the tulips are blooming, and the birds are singing, but the next day could be a soggy, chilly mess. Experienced gardeners know how to proceed with caution during this time of year. On the other hand, spring often brings a welcome dose of moisture, which helps new plants to establish and thrive. April is also known as Earth Month, so it is a wonderful time to make a commitment to make your garden better for the planet and its inhabitants, including invertebrates. Invertebrates, animals without backbones, make up 97% of animal species and contribute significantly to every ecosystem on Earth, and yet they are understudied and often feared. One key group of invertebrates are pollinators, insects that carry pollen, facilitating plant reproduction. Our food security and ecosystem health rides on the back of these bees, flies, beetles, butterflies, and other creatures. One of the most impactful things you can do in your garden is make it friendlier for pollinators by choosing a variety of native plants and avoiding pesticides. Native shrubs and perennials can weather the uncertainties of spring, so gardeners can start planting them as the night-time temperatures warm in late April. Native plants not only are adapted to our local conditions, but they also have long-standing relationships with local pollinators and other wildlife. Butterflies require specific plant species to lay eggs and feed caterpillars. Some notable examples are asters for painted ladies or violets and stonecrop for fritillaries. There are native bees that forage from a narrow selection of plants for their pollen, so plants such as sunflowers and rabbitbrush are key to support those species.  And then there are the wild and naturalistic plantings that support the full life cycles of beetles, flies, and other insect pollinators. An ideal pollinator habitat garden will include native plants with different flower shapes and colors, blooming at different times of year. Diversity is the gardener’s friend – landscapes with many kinds of native plants are less likely to be overtaken by pests and disease, while also supporting many kinds of pollinators and other beneficial invertebrates. Some examples of native plants that are great for sunny pollinator gardens in the western United States include dwarf rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa nauseosa), sunset hyssop (Agastache rupestris), swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), and narrow-leaf coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia). If you have part shade, species such as Wood’s rose (Rosa woodsii), golden currant (Ribes aureum), and golden columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha) are great choices. These native plants usually require less maintenance, especially when factored over their life. Since these species have adapted to our local soils, they don’t require regular fertilization. They also use much less water compared to conventional landscaping.  Spring snow and rain can help a lot to get these plants established – just be sure to set aside time (and a little of your water budget) to continue regular, deep watering through the first summer and early fall. These plants, once they are thriving, will yield substantial dividends – providing habitat for pollinators and birds, sequestering carbon, while saving water and other resources.  A little preparation this spring can lead to a vibrant and successful landscape later in the coming months and years. Habitat gardeners, whether they have an enormous native plant garden or a few containers with wildflowers, are stewards supporting our most important resource – biodiversity. Who knew that a little digging could have such an enormous impact on our environment and ourselves?  Butterfly Pavilion has resources and upcoming programs about gardening just for you! Pollinator gardening resources here: https://butterflies.org/pollinator-resources/  April 21: Pollinator Gardening Bootcamp workshop: Pollinator Garden Design https://butterflies.org/event/pollinator-garden-bootcamp/  April 28: Expert lecture: “Get Ready, Get Set, Garden” https://butterflies.org/expert-lecture-get-ready-get-set-garden/