We are excited to return to work in the next few weeks! Since our last announcement, Governor Walz has updated the list of non-exempt businesses to include certain sectors of the Green Industry. This means we, and other companies like us, no longer hold exempt status. Here is a list from the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA) of exempt services. Although we have already made the call to delay our season, we wanted to reiterate the reason for our decision: the safety of our clients, our teams, and our community. Thank you to everyone who expressed their understanding and support!
Going forward, our plan currently is still to start our Spring Clean-ups the week of April 13th. This could change if the stay-at-home order is extended. As always, we will be proactive in our communication about our schedule and keep all of you updated as events progress. Given this uncertainty (and how warm it’s been!), we want to offer a few timely tasks that can be performed by you while you wait for us:
- Removal of hay, straw, burlap, and wraps–if your garden has remnants of winter protection/insulation, it’s time to move on!
- Giving ornamental grasses a haircut. Many grasses are now growing, and their old winter shoots can be cut back, right above the new green. Scrunch to remove dead from the center.
- Unearthing roses. If you have roses that were covered or tipped for the season, you can lift them from their dormancy and let them soak in the sun. Be sure to give them a good drink of water once they are righted and re-planted.
- Giving your plants some(thing) to lean on. Peonies, hydrangea, and baptisia can all benefit from plant supports such as hoops and cages. Putting them on now is much easier than once their growth is too tall to manipulate in the cage.
For the health of your plant, winter protection and insulation should be removed sooner rather than later. We also welcome any questions, if you have specific questions on how best to do any of the above notes.
We can’t wait for our season to officially start!
