The Great Awakening

 

March 2025

PICKAWAY TO GARDEN

The Great Awakening

By Paul Hang

 

 

Beginning in the 1720’s and periodically to today, there have been waves of religious fervor and evangelical movements in America. These movements have been called Great Awakenings. They initiated religious conversions and spiritual regeneration. The term awakening implies a slumber and passivity that changes to a new awareness and subsequent beliefs and actions.

 

In March the earth has a great awakening. From a sleepy but often restless slumber, wintry earth begins to stir. If we are alert enough we will see the signs. We “see the light” as the days grow longer. The Spring Equinox marks the return of the sun to the northern hemisphere. The green spears of daffodils suddenly appear in the most unlikely of places. Likewise the blooming of snowdrops, Gilanthus nivalis, often pushes up through the snow to take a peek.

 

The signs are many: blooms of pussy willows seem to climb up the stems like their namesakes clinging to a curtain; the buds of trees swell. Some cannot be missed, like the huge terminal buds of the hickories. The Red maples look different, yet we don’t know why. Upon inspection we see the buds and why.  Then, from a distance, the whole tree seems to blush red as if our inspection has somehow invaded its sense of modesty.

 

Many people find the urge to join in this process. What young man hasn’t had his fancy turn to love in spring? The poets say, “Sweet lovers love the spring.” Gardening, tending to plants, puts us in sync with the happenings in nature. Observing changes in a plant gives lessons about seasonal changes. We see processes of growth, perhaps of flowering and going to seed, perhaps of the growth of stems and leaves. Perhaps the plant dies. These observations often lead us, by analogy, to notice the similarities to our own lives.

 

Observing nature hopefully makes us realize that we are a part of nature. Her rules and protocols apply to us as participants in processes beyond our making and control. Native Americans realized this and we ignore it at our peril. We are in need of a great awakening. We are on the earth and part of the earth. We are earthlings.

 

I recommend you spend more time observing nature. Even if it is just a single tree, bush or plant that you encounter on a regular basis on your daily routine, make a point of regularly taking notice. Or get a house plant to care for. Gardeners have an advantage as they are encountering plants most of the year. But even we can forget our relation- ship to plants. The very act of observing results in recognizing the other, the not-me. The changes, often with the seasons, of plant life can awaken in us the truth that we are all in this together.

 

 

 

Things to do in the garden:

 

Begin fertilizing houseplants with a weak solution. Now is a good time to propagate houseplants. Have your soil tested. Materials and directions are normally available at the OSU Extension Office.The last average frost date here in zone 6B is April 23^rd. That means there is a 50/50 chance of frost on that date. A number of seeds should be started this month. Check your seed packet for the number of days to harvest and count back to the date you want to plant your seeds or set out your plants. A word to the wise, don’t set out your plants too early unless you are prepared to protect them should the odds work against you.

 

Rake the lawn to remove the twigs, leaves, and other winter detritus. Mow high, 3-4 inches. Dig out those biennial weeds before they get established. Now is a good time to plant evergreen and other trees and shrubs and bare root roses. The earlier you transplant perennials the better they will do. When is the soil ready to be worked? Soil that sticks to your spade is too wet to work and will be compacted. Make a ball of soil and drop it. If it crumbles it is ready to work. 

 

Before those buds break, spray fruit trees with dormant oil. Read the directions. Prune damaged, diseased, and dead limbs. Also, prune those limbs that grow inward, suckers and water sprouts. Do not remove more than a third of the tree. Prune deciduous trees and shrubs that bloom in the summer. Prune spring flowering trees and shrubs after they bloom. Prune raspberry canes and grapevines and fall flowering clematis. Divide snowdrops after they have bloomed. You can plant spinach, radishes and peas from seed unless the soil is wet.

 

If you cut back perennials and ornamental grasses (tying up the grasses before cutting them back to about six inches saves a lot of clean up). Don’t throw them in the trash or onto the compost pile. Store them until we have a few warm days (temps above 50 F) to give overwintering insects a chance to emerge. Pull back mulch from around perennials on warm days but be prepared to cover them back up if a hard freeze threatens.

 

Late March and April is the time to apply a pre-emergent to the lawn if you want to prevent crabgrass. The best indicator for this is the first bloom of Callery Pear. But be forewarned, pre-emergents prevent seeds from sprouting. Apply pre-emergent on a calm day. There are now selective pre-emergents that do not affect grass seed. If you plan to seed any parts of your lawn, don’t apply a non-selective to those areas. This warning also applies to areas where you plan to plant vegetables and flowers by directly seeding in the soil. A light fertilization of the lawn is all you’ll need.

 

Go to weather.cfaes.osu.edu/gdd for phenology information on when plants flower and insects emerge. Gardening questions can be answered at the Pickaway County OSU Extension Office 740-474-7534.