Spring Maintenance Tips:

Spring has sprung! But local pollinators may still take a few weeks to emerge. Doing less work in your garden in the spring gives pollinators a chance to emerge from their winter nests. Keep early-blooming species in your garden (and your lawn!) so spring pollinators have something to eat when they wake up.

• Postpone spring cleanup until May 1st: Skip raking and cutting back dead plant material because pollinators may be sleeping in the leaves and stems! Ideally, leave those stems for 2 years, since some pollinators nest for multiple years. If you need to cut things back, leave 6-18" and lay down the cut stalks in the back of your garden bed.
• No Mow April/May: Pollinators that wake up in the early spring need something to eat, but flowers may be hard to find. Let flowers in your lawn grow in April/May to give pollinators an important food source.
• Skip the bark mulch: Pollinators that nest in the ground have a hard time climbing through bark mulch. Either skip mulch altogether or try composted leaf mulch. You can also leave 2-foot-wide areas of bare soil in the back of your garden bed.
• Don’t use pesticides: Avoid using pesticides (including insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides) in your lawn or garden. They are known to kill pollinators.
• Leave some cobwebs: Ruby-throated hummingbirds build nests with cobwebs. Leave them around in case hummingbirds find them useful.
• Add signage: if you're worried your neighbors will think you aren't caring for your landscape. Let everyone know you're looking out for our pollinator friends!

Thanks for doing less!