As Michiganders welcome the spring season and begin to plot their gardens and home landscapes, local experts like Kathy Valentine, owner of The Plant Professionals, and Kait Bibb, co-owner of Sparrow Bloom, have already seen the impact of an irregularly warm winter season.
“This year is particularly confusing because we only had one really hard freeze period, which was brutal but very short,” Valentine said. “Because of this, the ground didn’t freeze and adapt like it normally would. So, in mid-Michigan, we’re now at least two or three weeks ahead of our norm in terms of when plants like daffodils, hyacinths and tulips start coming up.”
Bibb said, “We’ll often joke that our springs are getting longer or that our winters are getting shorter, but that’s truly what it is: Your first frost is getting later, and your last frost is coming earlier. Some plants that we used to have to dig up and store every winter, we’re just not having to do that anymore.”
According to the National Weather Service, this past winter was the warmest on record for mid-Michigan. With that in mind, do gardeners need to approach planting season any differently this spring?
The answer largely depends on what’s being grown. There are now several online gardening apps that can inform growers of the best time to plant a certain species in the area where they live, which is particularly important for plants that require more care and consideration to keep alive.
For more commonly grown plants, however, Egypt Krohn, director of the Allen Neighborhood Center’s Hunter Park GardenHouse, said the climate hasn’t yet shifted to a point where drastic changes to the seasonal planting cycle are necessary.
“We’re seeing those late April and early May warm spells where everyone starts to get excited and plants their tomatoes. But we’ve also still been getting some later frosts in mid-May where their tomatoes will all die. So, it’s still important that we’re not getting lulled by those early spring warmups,” Krohn said.
For cold-sensitive crops, she suggested “sticking to those last frost days” and avoiding the temptation to plant too early. Hardier crops like greens, onions, peas, peppers and cucumbers can start as early as mid-April.
Krohn agreed that climate change will continue to force gardeners to adapt more and more with each passing year. In the meantime, however, fundamentals like soil quality, exposure to sunlight and adequate watering remain the largest factors of botanic success.
“We can only be as healthy as the soil we use,” she said. “Because Lansing tends to have heavy-clay soils, folks will really want to work on adding some good organic materials to the soil. A high-quality compost can work wonders.”
Effective weeding and mulching are also important factors, Valentine said.
“Any time an outdoor gardener is in a position where they can get their beds well-weeded and then get some nice organic mulch with about 2 inches of depth, that makes weeding so much easier,” she said. “It holds the moisture in the soil and moderates temperature, so if it gets cold, it doesn’t get cold as fast at the roots. And in the summer, when it gets super hot, those roots don’t get as hot or as dry. It makes a world of difference and probably reduces your weeding by about 70%, which makes gardening more fun.”
Gardens are much more than just plant life, however. To promote a diverse ecosystem of insects that are beneficial for a garden, Valentine advised not to throw away old vegetation too early when hobbyists get back to their plots this spring to ensure they’re not disposing of insect eggs.
“If you have a place you can set those plants aside and keep them on your property for a bit longer, you should. If you throw them away, the eggs aren’t going to be on the property to hatch and become butterflies and other helpful insects,” she said.
One landscaping trend that Valentine, Krohn and Bibb have all seen flourish in recent years is a resurgence in the popularity of native plant species.
“People are coming back around to the idea that our landscaping doesn’t need to be just trimmed hedges and shrubbery. They’re wanting more of those native plants that are not only beautiful but also help make the world a better place,” Bibb said.
Valentine added, “When native species bloom and set seed, those seeds, fruits and berries are going to be things that your native birds and animals want to eat and find nutritious, which is another huge plus for people.”
In addition to the variety of wild onion and chive species native to the region, Krohn cited common milkweed as another widely available native plant that’s easy to grow and cook.
“It’s actually a really tasty vegetable. You can cook almost any tender green part of common milkweed and incorporate it into a dish,” she said.
Another benefit of growing native plants is that they’re “more likely to make it through the first couple of winters,” Valentine said.
“Typically, after about two seasons, the plant has rooted out well past its original soil mass and is probably going to do fine for years or decades to come,” she said.
For people who live in an apartment or don’t have access to their own outdoor garden space, Valentine said there are many plants that can be grown inside or on a balcony.
“Lots of varieties of plants, like tomatoes and squashes, have been bred to be more compact. Some species are great for a small pot on the balcony, while others need worlds of space,” she said.
For beginners, Krohn suggested starting with a home herb garden.
“It’s something that you can pick up a little bit on here and there because it’s really easy to grow. It can also be a really good financial reward for the input because herbs are so expensive to buy fresh, and home-grown tastes a lot better,” she said.
Whether one wants to become a master of all things botanical or just bolster their home pantry, Bibb’s biggest tip for growers this spring is to “just start.”
“I would definitely suggest that people master no more than three species before moving on to the next,” she said. “You don’t need to have a garden with 15 varieties right away because you may end up struggling to maintain it.”
She said gazanias and cosmos are some of her personal favorites.
“You can direct-seed those, too. I like to joke that I’ll just give my kids some seed packets and let them go to town,” she said with a laugh.
Valentine, who has been with the Plant Professionals since 1980, said the key to maximizing one’s home garden is to continue trying new things.
“People are constantly thirsting for more variety as they try to figure out what their style is, what they enjoy and what lives for them,” she said. “When something doesn’t work out, try not to get too discouraged. If you do, you may never find out how rewarding it can be when you finally get everything just right.”
Cover artist
Okemos resident Carolyn Damstra is a painter of the landscapes and lakeshores of Michigan. She holds a bachelor’s degree in drawing and painting and a master’s degree in art history, both from Michigan State University. Find her artwork at the Lansing Art Gallery or online at carolyndamstra.com and
@carolyndamstraart.
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