Debating whether to clean up the mess or just leave it...

3 years ago

...for the benefit of the pollinators.

Lots of my stuff got toppled in the last round of storms -- Joe Pye, ironweed and other stuff. I really should spend the day cutting stuff back and cleaning up, but I feel bad because I don't want to sacrifice the blooms for the pollinators. They don't care that stuff is laying all over the ground, they're still enjoy the feast. But what a mess, it's driving me bonkers looking out the window. I am very, very fortunate, though, in that the damage I have is limited to perennials and some twiggy growth blown off trees. Parts of MI got hammered -- at least 4 tornadoes, flooding, wind damage. My coworker had a tree crash down onto her garage. It was pretty bad.

But yea -- I still need to decide whether to clean up or just say the heck with it for a couple more weeks so the buzzers can eat.

Featured Answer

porkchop_z5b_MI
Original Author

3 years ago

I ended up cutting back much of it. Unfortunately a lot of it was right smack in the line of sight out the windows, too hard to visually tune it out. I did leave some of it which wasn't too bad, thinking once the flowers dry out they'll pop back up -- one of the shorter clumps of Joe Pye is doing just that. One of the tree hydrangeas had to have the pruners taken to it, but I left the other one with the hopes the branches won't break. It's not windy, so I hope the gamble pays off.

I did have a note to self to order supports for next spring, some of these things were already wind-whipped from storms that came through earlier in the season. I managed to prop things back up half-assedly, it's hard to finagle these monster plants once they've filled out and put on height for the season. So I have a list of plants going that I need to order supports for next spring.

What's surprising to me is some of these are plants that never had any damage before so I never even considered supporting them. But it's just been weird this year...so better to be prepared for next year, I think the weather is just going to continue to get wilder and wilder over time, unfortunately.

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Comments (13)

lovemycorgi z5b SE michigan
3 years ago
Not sure what the answer is, we have a lot of plant debris too, but we for sure were very lucky to not be in the path of the numerous tornadoes that tore through SE and mid Michigan. We moved a kid back to college and saw much devastation on our drive.

My hydrangeas took the worst hit, and I already clipped off many of the waterlogged blooms so my tree forms wouldn’t have their main branching structure cracking under the weight. I guess I don’t care as much about my perennials, as they’ll grow back fresh and new next spring. I’ll probably prune off what’s laying on the ground and leave the rest.

What a weird summer it’s been in SE Michigan. 🥴
porkchop_z5b_MI
Original Author
3 years ago
Weird definitely describes it...

I was looking at the tree hydrangeas, too. I think I might have to clip off some blooms for the reason you cited, but I may wait a couple more days to see if they dry out and bounce back up -- they're in full glory right now, it would be a shame to sacrifice the show if waiting a couple days might resolve the situation.
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rosaprimula UK (Cambridge) Z8/9
3 years ago
Depends how irritated you feel. If it annoys you every time you glance outdoors, then maybe a bit of determined hacking would restore your equilibrium. If you can either ignore it or have managed the trick of unseeing, a bit of shambolic dishevelment can look charming rather than just knackered. Personally, I find a set- to with the loppers can be quite liberating, and it does give you armfuls of greenery to gather up and fill every available vessel.
peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
3 years ago
Glad you are both okay. mxk are the stems broken or just plastered to the ground from water weight? I would make the pollinators happy but I don't have to look at it. Perhaps you can prop some of them back up. Sorry for the mess.
linaria_gw
3 years ago
how about a mixed approach, cut back where it irks you the most, in the direkt view from your windows leave it in places in the back ( or something like this)
lat62
3 years ago
Reminds me of a robert mccloskey kids book where the sunflowers lift their heads back up after a hurricane in maine. great illustrations. im a messy gardener and would leave it, but what linaria and others said sounds helpful.

my 84 yearold mom spent a half hour in her damp basement in genesee county on thursday. she is pretty casual about it after a lifetime in michigan and at least her power stayed on! im asking her now about her garden.
djacob Z6a SE WI
3 years ago
mkx3, my Limelight Hydrangea Tree has taken a real beating too. Between the huge downpours last week and the 100+ temperatures this week, the branches are drooping and many of the flowers brown from burning. 😞

debra
djacob Z6a SE WI
3 years ago
mxk3, my Limelight tree looks awful with drooping branches all around. Unfortunately, when the blooms dried out the branches did not pop up like I thought they would. I can’t bring myself to cut them back…

debra
lovemycorgi z5b SE michigan
3 years ago
djacob, that has been my experience too with storm-bent paniculata branches…they don’t pop back up unless you cut the water-logged blooms off quickly; otherwise they just stay bent downward.

mxk3, what kind of supports are you ordering? I’ve found that many aren’t tall enough for these taller plants. For culver’s root, I had to used plant stakes for each individual stem; just wondering if there’s something better out there.
porkchop_z5b_MI
Original Author
3 years ago
Gardener's supply has really sturdy grow-through hoops -- I'm planning on ordering more from them.
cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
3 years ago
"I did have a note to self to order supports for next spring "

Also, you can 'Chelsea Chop' perennials like the Joe Pye.

My Joe Pye 'Gateway' get over eight feet tall but if I hack them back about halfway in late May they stay under six feet and don't flop. It will delay flowering for a week or two but no more than that. The tallest supports I've found available are 36" and the grow through hoops are far shorter than that even in the widest diameter- the side stakes are simply too short. The tallest ring support system I've found is isn't even tall enough to do a good job on my peonies, so IMO would be next to useless for an 8 foot top heavy perennial. So chopping works much better for me.
violetsnapdragon
3 years ago
Sorry to hear! I do a combination of staking and cutting back. I'm partial to those stakes with the loop at the top to just stick one or two stems inside (and save an otherwise lovely flower for a few more days).