Sometimes Doing Nothing is Right

Well-meaning gardeners often harm native bees during late-winter cleanup. These six common habits destroy the pollinators you want to protect:

• Cutting stems too early removes mason and leafcutter bee larvae still developing inside.
• Raking bare soil destroys mining bee tunnels and crushes dormant ground-nesters.
• Clearing leaf litter exposes bumblebee queens to cold snaps before they're ready.
• Tilling beds in early spring kills larvae that haven't emerged from soil chambers.
• Removing dead wood eliminates shelter for cavity-nesting bees that wake last.
• Spreading mulch everywhere buries ground-nester exit holes and traps emerging bees.

The urge to tidy up is strong. But dormant bees need your patience more than your effort. 

These common sense ideas help the natural order of a yard and its tinier inhabitants. They are the perfect excuse to skip Spring Clean Up, or at least put it off to "Manana". I have been doing it every year for well over 50 years. If your significant other is not a heartless, image is everything, nothing is more important kinda of mate, then use this ploy to justify laying on the couch, trolling your favorite political site, or just contemplating your navel. When they catch you with the remote in one hand and the other in an extra large jar of Cheetos, just say:

"Gee, dear darling spouse, I am only skipping yardwork today because of the little critters, the small tiny beasties who don't have a voice. They need lookin after too."

Then look at her/him/them with a sad puppy face gaze and maybe raise an eyebrow to emphasis how much more important the creatures we take for granted are than having a "Better Homes and Gardern" estate.

OR - You can just stop the idiotic destruction of the ecosystem that wraps around the place you call your home and find something else to do like doing nothing. ........ Initially doing nothing in the Fall or the Spring might just be the best avenue. Your immediate environment will be the benificiary as well as the larger ecosystem in the neighborhood, county, state,.... See where I'm going here?

Keep it 'tween the ditches .............................

This Spring Time heads up is from  "Gardening Success Tips" Facebook page

The Page has all kinds of tips for gardening.

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I was sure I would have a problem hooking up the notion of a garden with the Blues. Google proved me wrong. There were more than a few choices. I picked Mack Arnold & the Plate Full of Blues performing "The Garden Song". Nothing fancy, just a basiic in your face Blues number. Enjoy.