Be careful pruning your spring bloomers this time of year

Sometimes it takes two to tango, especially when it comes to fruit and berry producing plants. Some need a partner for pollination. And in the dance, we call pruning, some plants are best left hands-off. The first of those two metaphors came to mind earlier while on a road trip, when I was thrilled by miles and miles of native Eastern Baccharis in its snowy Autumn glory along fencerows, woodland edges, and especially in low, wet meadows. Often called groundsel, this eye-catching medium to large leggy shrub is eye-catching for what look like masses of billowy white flowers. What few folks notice is that mixed in are same-size but plain green shrubs, which are male shrubs with tiny, already-shed pollen-bearing flowers, unnoticeable except for the monarchs and other butterflies that flocked to them. Only the female shrubs are covered with fluffy white, almost cottony, seedheads, which would be no-shows without pollen from the duller male shrubs.

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.