Soft Landings.

Just Say No to the Mulch Volcano.

Coming up next on Year-Round Gardening.

[music playing] ANNOUNCER 1: Year-Round Gardening is supported in part by Ace Hardware, Hills Plaza South State College, and South Dorcas Street, Lewistown.

Soft landings are a great alternative to that big pile of mulch that many people order for their trees.

[buzz] But what do we mean by soft landings?

They are multi-layered plantings of native plants under keystone trees or other appropriate native trees.

Underplanting trees with native shrubs, perennials, and ground covers provides food and shelter for pollinators, birds, and other important members of the ecosystem.

Soft landings also help build healthy soil, sequester more carbon than turf grass, and reduce time and fuel spent on mowing.

A keystone tree is a native tree that serves as a host plant or food source for a significant number of butterfly and moth larvae, otherwise known as caterpillars.

The munching done by most caterpillars is minor cosmetic damage that won't harm the tree.

One notable exception is the spongy moth caterpillar.

Furthermore, insects like caterpillars are the essential foundational element of a healthy food web.

But food is only the first part of the story.

More than 90% of the insect larvae that feed on the leaves of these keystone trees must drop to the ground to complete their life cycles at some point.

And when they do, they need to find cover in leaf litter or native plants.

Turf grass or a thick layer of mulch under your trees doesn't provide what they need to survive to adulthood.

[music playing] Any low-growing native plant that thrives in shade or partial shade is a good candidate for soft landings.

For example, early spring ephemerals like bloodroot are a welcome sight in the first days of spring and can give way to other woodland natives, such as violets or mayapple.

You can keep the show going with wild columbine or wild geranium through the warmer months, and a large variety of native asters can be used for flowers right up until frost.

If you prefer foliage, many types of native ferns and sedges provide varied textures and shades of green throughout the growing season.

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Ace, "the helpful place."

Hills Plaza South State College and South Dorcas Street, Lewistown.

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