A “Cedar” in Fruit
Question
I have a very large, tall cedar tree that produced different shoots last summer. They were pale green balls that turned dry and brown in the fall. It really isn’t very nice. What should I do with them?
Answer
These “balls” are in fact cones… and the little cones contain the seeds of the future generation. Cedar trees – in fact, thuja (Thuya occidentalis) – do not flower and fruit every year, but tend to do so at irregular intervals. So there is no guarantee that you will have the same “problem” this year. In any case, there is nothing you can do to prevent it, other than removing the culprit.
Be aware that last year’s cones will quickly be hidden by this year’s shoots and will soon no longer be visible. They will fall off in time.
Springtime Relaxation
Question
This fall, I did what you recommended for the flowerbeds. I left all my perennials and annuals in place. When should we pick up the remains of these plants in the spring, and how? As soon as the snow has melted? With a rake? I wouldn’t want to damage the small new shoots of spring with the tines of the rake. On the other hand, there are too many of them to do it by hand.
Answer
What is most surprising about the “no cleaning in the fall” technique is that when the snow melts, you discover that there is little cleaning to be done in the spring. In other words, all that “cleaning” work in the fall was a pure waste of time… and it was harmful to the plants, too! Most of the plant waste will be so decomposed in the spring that it is no longer worth picking it up. Leave it to decompose in the soil, as Mother Nature intended, so that it enriches it as it should, and you will see how healthy your plants will be.
The only waste to be “collected” is the few stems still standing, which you just need to break or cut. You can put them in a less visible part of the flower bed so that they can continue to decompose, or you can put them in the compost. Do this “mini-cleaning” when the soil is dry enough to be able to walk in the flower bed without sinking in. Above all, do not rake the flower beds, as you will damage the plants growing there!
Larry Hodgson published thousands of articles and 65 books in his career, in French and English. His son, Mathieu, has made it his mission to make his father’s writings accessible to the public. This text was originally published in Le Soleil on March 31, 2007.
Yes, I have a question. This is the first year that I have left the leaves in my flower beds. For most of them this is a good solution and does save me some time and I can see the value in doing so. BUT in the shady section of my yard I have three large trees (beech and maple) fairly close together with beds in and around them. Lots of tiny ephemerals come up in these beds. They seem to be appearing later this year and I am wondering whether it is just a coincidence or if the leaf litter from those trees is too thick for them to get all the way up through. Watching them appear and then disappear is one of my favorite things to do every day starting in February. Are these tiny ones going to make it up through all those leaves? I’d hate to miss them this year.