Backyard Naturalist: Learning to love that messy garden

Spring is the time we shelve the skis, and turn our attention to the Red Sox and our backyards.

My own yard is scarred with the remnants of trails carved by subnivean creatures who had sheltered under a blanket of winter snow. They have moved on. As for the other creatures who haven’t emerged from their winter digs yet, it’s not too late to consider a garden plan that will improve their survival odds. But it is too early to do that massive cleanup and heavy mulching that works against all the beneficial native insects and creatures that aren’t ready to get up yet.

How can we best ensure our various furred, feathered, scaled and slithery neighbors have a fair chance to play their roles in creating a healthy and diverse place of beauty in our yards, woods and gardens – which all benefit from the diligence of a wide range of native pollinators? Bees and butterflies are our willing workers –but their winter naps aren’t over yet. Except for that mourning cloak butterfly that explored my dead hydrangeas in late March. The others need to enjoy the shelter of that leaf litter around the edges of the lawn, or hang out in the hollow stems of last summer’s perennials.

So just when is the right time to reclaim your garden? When the overnight temperatures reliably stay at 50 degrees or above. Think “tomato-setting season.” That’s when the sleepy creatures beneficial insects have higher hopes of survival. Until then, try to “leave the leaves.”

My inner procrastinator is jumping for joy.

The native bees and their early pollinator cousins will also benefit from the wildflowers that pop up early in and around your yard. That’s the fuel they rely on until the cultivated floral splendor has had a chance to parade its colors. Aspiring to a “no mow May” will help attract the same pollinators that will be tending your favorite blooms in due course. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation encourages us to be patient: the longer we can tolerate a messy garden in early spring, the better! Xerces also provides tips online teaching us how doing less work can pay off in each season. If you’re anxious to start tending the garden, consider leaving the rake on the rack and wandering over to your favorite garden center to get advice on which native plants will best complement the beauties in your existing patch.

Now is also an excellent time to consider switching to all-organic fertilizer, and non-toxic pest control strategies. Weston is served by reliable and effective landscape companies who apply non-chemical natural compounds to shrubs and flower beds to ward off deer, ticks and other pests. Honestly, I hold off on any applications that discourage insects until after the last firefly has flickered out.

So while the rake will get a rest, the bird baths can be cleaned with water and a little bleach. So can the bird feeders and the bird houses. Maybe I’ll even keep that promise about sweeping out the garage and putting the old bikes in the Bikes not Bombs shed at the transfer station.

Go Sox!