Glimpse

I’m still catching up after a wonderful trip to visit friends and family in Puerto Rico so the newsletter is running late, and we are skipping the main article this month. Instead of the main article, I thought you might enjoy a glimpse at what your Christmas poinsettias

would look like if only our climate was more accommodating. All of those blooms are on a single plant that is decades old! It’s definitely not a houseplant. Pictured with the poinsettia are myself and good friend, Heather.

– Mary Beth

Time for Pruning!

If you have bushes that you would like to have reshaped or resized, Feb. 1 to March 15 is the best time for the health of the plant. 

• Flowering shrubs should generally be pruned immediately after flowering to avoid cutting off the new buds after they have set, unless your plant needs reshaping or resizing in which case, the healthiest time to do it is now.  

• It is best not to reduce a plant by more than ⅓ of its current size.  If you have bushes that are way too big, plan on having us come out for several years to continue the resizing process until you are happy with them.  

Please contact us at admin@birchmeadowgc.com if you have bushes that need pruning attention.  It’s best to email us to let us know even if we are visiting your house for regular maintenance as we may not realize that you want your bush(es) resized or reshaped.  

Best of all know that even though the days are still short and the weather is cold and often drab right now, spring is coming!

– Mary Beth

2025 RATE Increase

2024 was a good year for Birch Meadow.  In addition to taking care of all of your beautiful gardens and doing numerous installations, we started the newsletter again at the beginning of the year, did a housecleaning on all things that were taking excessive administrative time, started training employees to provide backup for scheduling, planning and estimates to improve our resilience when someone was out sick or on vacation, clarified various policies and procedures that needed addressing and recently added Monday.com to help us keep track of maintenance tasks, designs, projects, and administrative work. We also came up with plans to remodel the nursery area, which means that the plants you receive from us will be better cared for while they are here and we will need to spend less time dealing with flooding, squirrels, rabbits, too much sunlight for shade loving plants and other issues that have plagued our operation.  

Unfortunately because the costs of our software support (Quickbooks, Squarespace and now Monday.com), bookkeeping, and insurance (workers comp, general liability and auto), and the Orange County living wage have all increased dramatically this year, we will need to raise our rates again.  In years past our employees have received their annual cost of living increase in February while our client rates have increased in July, which has always caused a bit of a struggle in spring to meet the gap.  As part of our general administrative housekeeping, I am permanently shifting our rate increase timing to match the timing of employee raises.  Our new rate will be $61/hour for labor and $77/hour for designs effective February 1.  The first invoices you receive at the new rate will go out in March.  Thank you for your support and for the opportunity to work in your beautiful yards.  We have learned so much from all of you!  

— Mary Beth Berkley

BOOK REVIEW:
“The Earth Moved,” by Amy Stewart 

Earthworms are some of the most important creatures on Earth. These humble invertebrates play a vital role in maintaining soil health and fertility. They are nature's recyclers, breaking down organic matter and releasing nutrients back into the soil. Their burrowing activities aerate the soil, improving drainage and creating space for plant roots to grow. Earthworms are also a food source for many other animals, making them an essential part of the food chain. Despite their small size, earthworms have a big impact on the environment.  Here is the bookworm’s book to learn more…

 –Shannon

"You know a book is good when you actually welcome one of those howling days of wind and sleet that makes going out next to impossible." —The New York Times

In The Earth Moved, Amy Stewart takes us on a journey through the underground world and introduces us to one of its most amazing denizens. The earthworm may be small, spineless, and blind, but its impact on the ecosystem is profound. It ploughs the soil, fights plant diseases, cleans up pollution, and turns ordinary dirt into fertile land. Who knew?

In her witty, offbeat style, Stewart shows that much depends on the actions of the lowly worm. Charles Darwin devoted his last years to the meticulous study of these creatures, praising their remarkable abilities. With the august scientist as her inspiration, Stewart investigates the worm's subterranean realm, talks to oligochaetologists—the unsung heroes of earthworm science—who have devoted their lives to unearthing the complex life beneath our feet, and observes the thousands of worms in her own garden. From the legendary giant Australian worm that stretches to ten feet in length to the modest nightcrawler that wormed its way into the heart of Darwin's last book to the energetic red wigglers in Stewart's compost bin, The Earth Moved gives worms their due and exposes their hidden and extraordinary universe. This book is for all of us who appreciate Mother Nature's creatures, no matter how humble.

– A Barnes & Nobel review

TO-DO List for February

• Prune for size and shape as needed.

• Start watching for deer damage and spray some form of deer repellent on your plants as needed before the deer develop a habit and taste for what’s in your yard.

• Use lukewarm water to wash any dust off of your houseplants; check them for any diseases or insects.

• Spread compost to give your plants a boost for spring.

• Plant hardy vegetables and other cool-season crops, such as lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, beets, carrots, radishes, turnips, spinach, peas, and cauliflower. Start seeds of warm-season vegetables indoors.

• Make successive plantings of vegetables so that you have a continuous harvest throughout the growing season.

• Get plant beds or seed boxes ready for growing frost tender plants such as tomato, pepper, and eggplant. Wait to plant them until after final frost, typically April 1 in our area.

• Start seeds of warm-season flowers indoors now to have transplants ready for spring.

• Plant trees and shrubs now so they have time to get established before hot weather.

• Fertilize established fruit trees. Plant dormant fruit trees.

• Learn what some of the edible weeds are in your yard and experiment with foraging.  Some great examples for this time of year are Bittercress, and Asiatic Hawksbeard.  Both are pretty invasive weeds that form easily identifiable basal rosettes at this time of year.  If you seek them out and throw them in your soups and salads at this time of year, you will simultaneously reduce the number of blooms and seeds for spreading later in the year.  Win-win!  Contrary to it’s name, bittercress is not really bitter but peppery and both plants are packed with nutrients.

• Explore the NC Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox to get ideas for spring plantings.  Their search engine allows you to specify variables like soil conditions, landscape themes, flower color and much, much more. 

PLANT FOCUS -
Hamamelis Virginiana,“Witch Hazel”

With stunningly vivid clusters that range from red to yellow, Witch Hazel is well-known as an ornamental plant that usually blooms just as temperatures begin to drop during the colder months of the year. However, the plant has more to offer than just its distinctive appearance; thanks to its natural astringent and antiseptic qualities, Witch Hazel is also a popular folk remedy used to treat a variety of ailments including acne and inflammation.

[Photos courtesy of Adobe Stock]

Witch hazel was likely used by your grandmother or great grandmother to treat a variety of skin ailments, including acne and inflammation. But, according to a recent study by ARS scientist Reuven Rasooly and his team with the Foodborne Toxin Detection and Prevention Research Unit, Witch Hazel’s exalted place in folk medicine isn’t just hype.

The team discovered that witch hazel extract was extremely effective in suppressing bacterial pathogenesis, or the ability of bacteria to further develop and produce harmful toxins. Rasooly explained that pathogenesis is the root cause of many persistent infections and accompanying complications.

For consumers, Witch Hazel’s ‘smart’ antimicrobial properties make the plant a great way to fight bacterial pathogens, especially those that have notoriously developed resistance to conventional antibiotic treatments. Read "Witch Hazel Spells Trouble for Harmful Microbes" to learn more.

– From the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Agricultural Research Service

Garden Valentine

A tiny seed, a hopeful start,

Like love that blooms within the heart. 

We tend it gently, day by day, 

Chase doubts and weeds that go astray.

With sun and rain, it starts to grow, 

A tender shoot, a gentle show. 

Like love that strengthens, soft and bright, 

Pushing through darkness to the light.

A fragile bloom, a vibrant hue, 

Love's beauty shining, fresh and new. 

We watch it blossom, year by year, 

A garden grown, so close and dear.

Though petals fade and seasons turn, 

The roots of love, forever burn. 

A constant cycle, strong and deep, 

A garden's promise, love to keep.

– Shannon

Happy Gardening!