A view of some of the wind damage to our native grasses.

Tuesday morning, bleary eyed and still half asleep, Jen and I arrived at Morning Sky Greenery. Habitual and necessary coffee in hand, we slunk through the greenhouse to activate the new automatic watering system for the outdoor plants. Casually opening the door and conversing normally, we stepped out to activate the spigot which provides water to the automatic system. Gasps. Stepping into the back, it looked as though many of our grasses had been picked up by a crane and dropped forcefully into a pile on our forbes. Packs, flats, and plugs were strewn about in a scene that proved instantly stressful. Standing around and muttering generically surprised phrases was all we could do for at least ten minutes, as we wandered the grounds assessing the damages. A large diseased tree, thankfully destined for removal anyway, was downed by the wind directly beside our building. Luckily it fell perfectly, missing the building and also taking care of some unwanted shrubbery. Waiting for one of our supervisors to arrive, we marveled at what the wind had done. We had known that a storm occurred the night previous, but had no reason to believe that significant damage may have accompanied it. Mary and Sally soon arrived and the cleanup began. Because grasses could now be identified with some accuracy, a salvage operation was in order. As many plugs as possible were identified and organized, but the botanical horde was not without its casualties. Since Tuesday, a majority of time here has been spent organizing and replacing grasses most greatly affected. Fortunately, our stock will not be negatively affected and all grasses will be available as normal. The summer is just beginning here at Morning Sky, but we can already tell that it will be a beautiful one. Get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend!

Please note that your newly purchased native wildflowers and grasses are going into dormancy. Do not be alarmed by there browning tops, their fall color or even the lack of leaves. This is a normal process for your natives. Shorter days, cooler temperatures and even light frost will trigger the slow down of these plants. You may notice that the root systems are vigorous and may even appear “root bound”. This is also a natural process and very desirable. The plant continues to produce and even accelerates root production at this time of the year. So, don’t be alarmed plant these roots and place 3-4″ of mulch over top to protect them from frost-heaving (Popping out of the ground.). Uncover your natives in the spring to allow the ground to warm up. Most of our native plants love the heat! Watch for them to come up Late May and early June and enjoy!

Fall is a great time for planting your natives and you will get a “jump-start” on the spring by doing so!