Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day! This year marks Earth Day’s 53rd anniversary and the 15th year Lakeview Nurseries has been running green on solar power. Over the last few years Richard and I have added solar onto the Plaza next door and we’ve built a massive 800 panel system producing over 300 KW of power at Lunenburg Self Storage.

The team here at Lakeview often laughs about how I’m quoted as saying Every Day is Earth Day. The quote might be cute but the commitment behind it is real. For me, Earth Day is a time to reflect on the impact that I have on our planet and to think about new ways to take action towards a more sustainable future. I know that it’s a cold and rainy day, but my Earth Day wish for all of you is that you got out there and planted something!

As I walk around the nursery this last week of April, the yard is chock full of activity and color. That recent blast of hot weather followed by the rain over this past weekend has combined to push any reluctant plants into budding.

I’m also grateful for the rain today. The significant lack of precipitation for the month of April is a big concern for us. April showers are just not happening. When we combine this early spring drought with the severe winter temperature damage we know we won’t be seeing as many May flowers either. The winter bud kill is obvious in the lack of flower buds on yellow forsythia this spring. Usually poor flowering on forsythia is an easy diagnosis, they were pruned too late in the season after the buds had already been set for the next spring. This year we are seeing mass bud dieback on forsythias all over town. The culprit is winter kill. Many Forsythia won’t bloom after an extremely hard/cold winter. The buds are simply not hardy enough to survive the extreme cold snap we experienced. Don’t despair, the plants are healthy and the flowers will be back next spring.

If you’re an allergy sufferer, you know that Acer platanoides (Norway Maple) is in full bloom. Maple flowers can produce large numbers of pollen grains (up to 8000 per flower!) – to quote my niece “they are the worst!”. This non native invasive tree is hard to miss now that it is in bloom, the flowers are a bright yellowish-green. Beyond having “the worst” pollen, invasive Norway Maples are also a big problem in our forest ecosystems. This maple species has been banned for sale and importation into Massachusetts for several years now. Read FAQ’s here.

Around town all the lawns are greening up and growing quickly. Don’t miss the timing on a crabgrass control – do it now. We stock the organic and standard options from Jonathan Green.
Weed controls work by either preventing weeds before they occur in your lawn (pre-emergents) or after they germinate (post-emergents). Crabgrass controls are significantly more effective as a pre-emergent so right now is the time to get them down.

The smell of fresh mulch is in the air! We are delivering all day everyday! You can either place your order online, stop into the store or call us. We are also open every day for 8-5 for pick up.

Wonder why I get so excited about mulch? Hands down it’s the one single step you can take to save yourself tons of labor every summer. Read about my love affair with mulch here at my blog Less Work – More Flowers!

If you’ve been out spreading mulch you know that the black flies are out! Did you know that Lavender can help with that? Rubbing Lavender on your exposed skin can help repel Blackflies! Truly every Gardener and Woodland Wanderer should have some Lavender close by, either in a container or a perennial bed!

Happy Earth Day,
Michelle and The Plant Geeks At Lakeview