You Can Do It Gardening

You Can Do It Gardening Jess, The Garden CoachđŸŒș. Virtual and in-person consultations. See website for info.

09/07/2026

For anyone paying attention, our natural areas are under siege. They need to be managed and if budgets are tight this simply does not happen. Volunteer efforts can only do so much. I have participated in a few such efforts and they feel almost inconsequential.

For all of the land managers—past and present—land conservation organizations and volunteers out there I just want to give you a shoutout. Recent cuts in staff at national parks and national forest staff leaves me extra concerned and all that land is under threat enough as it is.

These woods are part of a state park of 2,600 acres called the Middlesex Fells Reservation. It’s an incredible resource. I don’t know anything about how funds are allocated to this area amongst many in the state and how decisions are made but I have to presume there are major limitations. That’s just the reality.

All you need to do is look carefully at what you’re looking at and you will quickly see how prevalent invasive species are. What many people don’t realize about them is that by their very nature, they take over native plants that have co-evolved with other species for thousands of years. There are relationships that are all integrated together. This feels exponential. With habitat loss from development, invasive species, climate change, and overuse of pesticides we have a massive decline in birds and insects. This all impacts us either directly or indirectly.

Right now I’m feeling sad, angry and frustrated. Occasionally I feel hopeful when I hear from people about how they’re taking action in their own yards or when I learn about a successful restoration project but mostly I feel futility about this issue and that sucks. I like to share this information with all of you because I know many of you are seeing this where you never did before. And it’s upsetting. More people need to be upset because this could lead to change. We need to make investments where we can, advocate for these issues and vote for people who will help us conserve our beautiful land. This takes work. Happy Labor Day. (and Labour day to my Canadian friends!)

09/05/2026

At this time of year there are some areas in my garden that don’t look great. ï»żI plug some with pots but love dried hydrangeas and it occurred to me that some of those stems could just be put right into the ground for a while. It’s a little kooky and I’m into it. I’ll keep them up until I plant bulbs there later. (Post in this coming soon!)

Does anyone else do this?

If you’re planning to dry them, just put them in a vase. You can add a little water if you want but I don’t usually. They’re best as they’re starting to turn pink but don’t wait too long or they start to turn brown.

If you need guidance with your garden I would love to help you. Go to my website to book an in-person consultation in the Boston area or virtual consultation anywhere.https://www.youcandoitgardening.com

And if you’re interested in some extra content and some behind-the-scenes, you can subscribe for $5/month. This also helps support the work I do here.

09/04/2026

Don’t waste your money! I work with and hear from a lot of people who have successfully managed to keep what they have and make it look a whole lot nicer. Try this before spending a lot of money removing and replacing your old shrubs.

For the most vigorous new growth on your plants, do this is late winter/early spring. None of these are flowering shrubs so there was no sacrifice there but sometimes it’s worth doing that if you do want a bunch of new growth. Otherwise, wait u til after something blooms.

Can you do this kind of plant carnage at this time of year? I wouldn’t but you could if you’re desperate to make some progress or you need to clear room. Pruning stimulates new growth and you’ll probably get some within a few weeks. If we have a really cold winter some new growth won’t make it, which isn’t a big deal and the plants will mostly like be just fine but there is a chance that all that pruning stress on top of cold stress could be too much for an unhealthy plant.

File this away for spring!

If you need guidance with your garden I would love to help you. Go to my website to book an in-person consultation in the Boston area or virtual consultation anywhere.https://www.youcandoitgardening.com

And if you’re looking for some extra content and some behind-the-scenes, you can subscribe for $5/month. This also helps support the work I do here.

09/03/2026

Ugh, this is EVERYWHERE. Most of my clients have this and you probably do too.

Some w**ds you can just pull and they come right out, like garlic mustard or young bittersweet. Others you need a shovel. Whatever it is, getting them by the root is essential. When black swallow wort (Cynanchum louiseae), also know as “dog strangling vine”, is small you can use a trowel but when they get bigger you do need a shovel. This is invasive in many states and it spreads everywhere if you don’t control it. Even if it’s not invasive where you live you may not want it to spread so I have found that this is what you need to do. It’s time consuming but well worth the effort.

Make sure to put the seeds in the trash because they may make it through any composting process. You can use herbicides on this if you choose but it can take multiple applications because the leaves are thick and waxy. Research best practices form university extension articles and those familiar with this approach please chime in!

Another compelling reason to get rid of black swallow wort is that monarch butterflies can think that it’s a suitable host plant for the caterpillars but it’s toxic to the larvae so this is very counterproductive if you are interested in preserving the monarch butterflies!😭

If you need help with your yard I’d love to help you. Go to my website schedule virtual or in-person consultations and more: https://www.youcandoitgardening.com

**ds

09/02/2026

Ugh! 😑This will be a huge job!!!! It’s probably got to be done over a few years. Why do people do this?!😭 You can’t dig into that to plant anything new and the soil under there is garbage so the plants have little to no nutrients and ultimately suffer. And w**ds still commenting because sediment builds up and w**d seeds blow in and germinate. Once all of the gravel and fabric have been removed they will need to spread compost everywhere to try to create good enough soil for new plants to thrive.

Please repeat after me: “I will never do this” 😭😅

Having a narrow row of gravel along the side of your house is good for drainage, prevent splattering if water that comes out over the gutters (if you have them) and to keep moisture away from the house. Not the same thing!

If you need guidance with your garden I would love to help you. Go to my website to book an in-person consultation in the Boston area or virtual consultation anywhere.https://www.youcandoitgardening.com

And if you’re looking for some extra content and some behind-the-scenes, you can subscribe for $5/month. This also helps support the work I do here.

Happy September!Here are some highlights from August, both at home in Wi******er, MA and our cottage in the Monadnock re...
09/01/2026

Happy September!

Here are some highlights from August, both at home in Wi******er, MA and our cottage in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. I also spent time in Vermont and my husband and I went to Montreal for the first time. The botanic garden there is phenomenal! (See post about it from a few weeks ago if you missed it.)

This summer my “gardening” was more about wandering, watching, planning and delighting in the various species that came to visit my garden as opposed to dividing and moving things around. I’ve also been obsessed with what plants are along roadsides. The good news is they’re not all invasive. Apparently I’ve arrived at my “observation era.â€đŸ€Ł

Any highlights from August you’d like to share?

If you need guidance with your garden I would love to help you. Go to my website to book an in-person consultation in the Boston area or virtual consultation anywhere.https://www.youcandoitgardening.com

And if you’re looking for some extra content and some behind-the-scenes, you can subscribe for $5/month. This also helps support the work I do here.😊

08/31/2026

Who doesn’t want free ground cover!? I suggest you get to know the plants popping up in your garden really well because some of them may be native—and therefore beneficial to wildlife—and you can let that stuff go, to fill in the space for free. The more plant material we have, the less mulch we need, the less w**ding we need to do, and the better it is for our soil. A win all the way around. What’s your favorite “free” plant that appears and you let stay?

Needless to say, when you discover invasive plants they should be removed. They do immense ecological damage. That may be easier said than done, depending on what it is. Get them early like the ones I’m showing and no chemicals are ever needed.

If you need guidance with your garden I would love to help you. Go to my website to book an in-person consultation in the Boston area or virtual consultation anywhere.https://www.youcandoitgardening.com

And if you’re looking for some extra content and some behind-the-scenes, you can subscribe for $5/month. This also helps support the work I do here.

**ds

08/30/2026

For anyone against using herbicide I don’t know a better way to explain why it’s sometimes necessary than to show this success story. There is no other way to get a handle on this kind of destructive invasive plant at scale. Insecticides are a whole other thing. Don’t confused them. (They are both considered pesticides.)

This is in the town in New Hampshire where we have our cottage. I am so proud of our Conservation Commission for getting this done. There were 72 sites and the chair of the commission has been monitoring it for 10 years and has watched them grow in size and number. That’s how long it’s taken to get people’s attention and convince them that action needed to be taken.😭

When I look out at all the roads covered with Japanese knotw**d, tree of heaven and all the rest of it I despair when I think of the inaction. But when people work together, get others on board and dedicate the resources, this can turn around. It only took one and a half days to apply the herbicide (glyphosate) to all 72 sites and it wasn’t that expensive.

Imagine what could happen across this country if there was a concerted and coordinated effort.

This is a multi-year process and there aren’t any plans to plant any new plants where the knotw**d had been taking over. We’re fortunate that native plants are coming back in on their own but that’s not always the case with restoration.

Even if we’re only talking about our own yards, I don’t really understand the resistance. Worried about your health? Wear PPE. Worried about the soil? Glyphosate becomes inert when it hits the soil and is mostly gone within 10 days. I will add that not all herbicides are the same. Some are much worse than glyphosate for soil, water, insects and other wildlife, and other plants. Please do your research. The new Roundup doesn’t even have glyphosate in it after all the lawsuits. There are a lot more posts about invasive plants in the playlists.

Please share success stories to keep us all hopeful.🙏

**d

08/29/2026

If you’ve been following for a while you know I’m passionate about environmental protection and conservation. What we do on our properties matters in the broader world and we can make a difference—both by the plants we deliberately put there (native plants) and the ones we work to remove, so they don’t spread and do more harm nearby (invasive plants).

But this goes beyond our individual properties and into federal land, which is currently under attack and we need to fight back. Drastic reductions in protection of national monuments like Bears Knees and Grand Staircase-Escalante, bulldozing Big Bend National Park to big a humongous and unneeded wall, removing protections of endangered species and their habitats and attempting to rescind the roadless rule are all reckless, self-serving and short-sighted. Next up: Yosemite national park and Lake Clark in Alaska.

This administration has proven time and time again that enriching themselves and their campaign donors and holding onto power is paramount. This is unacceptable.

The assault on the land, the wildlife and humans that depend on it and sacred indigenous places are an attack on all of us and we need to stop it. The public comment period for the roadless rule is until September 20th. Follow organizations who are engaged in this battle and all the other ones and support their work if you can.

And there are countless other reasons to vote these people out of office and send a message.

Please make sure you are registered to vote, to vote in the primaries if yours hasn’t already happened (Massachusetts is September 1!), and to vote in November for people who actually care about the planet and our future here. There is a massive effort to confuse and intimidate people to prevent them from going to the polls in November. States are still in charge of this and voting by mail is still ok but they will do everything they can to try to suppress us. We need to show up!

Comments are off so I don’t have to monitor nasty comments between people and bots but I love you and thanks for being here.

JessđŸ‘©â€đŸŒŸđŸŒż

08/28/2026

It’s a little counter-intuitive but this is how it works. Plants are amazing.✂ In both cases I recommended adding compost on the ground around the shrubs. (Not right up against the bark of the branches though!!!) This acts as a slow-release fertilizer, providing nutrients to the plants as it breaks down.

Could you do this now? Sure. Depending on where you live it’s likely you will get some new growth by the end of the season because it usually only takes around 5 or 6 weeks for new growth to come in after pruning. Pruning like this will be stressful for the plant. Cold weather will be additional stress and if it’s a really cold winter it’s possible that new growth could die. Unless the plant is already very unhealthy, it is very unlikely the plant would suffer long-term because these are beasts. However, if yours is already weak and unhealthy, I would be more gradual in your approach. Apply this strategy to virtually any shrub. (Junipers and dwarf blue spruce are exceptions.)

If you need guidance with your garden I would love to help you. Go to my website to book an in-person consultation in the Boston area or virtual consultation anywhere.https://www.youcandoitgardening.com

And if you’re looking for some behind-the-scenes, you can subscribe for $5/month. This also helps support the work I do here.

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