Green Ideas - Winter Cleanup

Plant loss due to the vagaries of such things as "el Nino" can break the heart of anyone who gardens in earnest. The practice of good garden hygiene will benefit your garden in many ways: less winter loss, reduced damage from deer and rodents, and a virtual elimination of disease.

Timing is everything ... whether in tending your tender perennials or in outsmarting Bambi. We hope you will use the following ideas in creating your winter "to-do" list. Not to worry, we will not hold your feet to the fire (like some deranged magazine potentate from Long Island we all know ...), but rather tweak your sensibilities to the fact that your garden needs you all year-round.

First things first ... Why do most plants perish?

It is either too much water, but usually not enough. You wouldn't think that would be a winter time concern, but desiccation, or the loss of valuable moisture through the drying winds of winter is a prime culprit. By practicing a dedication to the application of Wilt-Pruf, you'll help your plants tough it out when conditions get desperate. Think of it as "Chap-Stick" for your plants. Applications should be made when temperatures are over 45 degrees. So do it now and keep it handy during a January thaw.

However ... if your plants look too good

Let's face it, your landscape looks like a buffet for the deer in neighborhood. Take steps now to minimize damage from the voracious appetite of the local venison. We offer a complete selection of natural repellents, including coyote urine. This is also a perfect time to apply deer netting and burlap wraps. Protecting your plants means protecting your investment in your landscape.

Tuck them in for the winter

There are two applications of mulch that are important to your garden. For your broadleaf evergreens, such as Azaleas, Mountain Laurels, and Rhododendrons, it is helpful to remember they are shallow rooted plants. Soil erosion over time will leave fibrous roots exposed and subject to winter kill. Mulch these plants, and most of your garden, with a layer of about 3-4 inches of mulch before the ground freezes. Give these plants a deep watering before mulching.

Your perennial plants and roses should receive their tuck-ins after the ground has frozen. This will prevent a "freeze and thaw" effect that will heave the plants and subject the roots to damage. Waiting for the freeze will also keep burrowing rodents from accessing the roots. You can top off your mulch cover with a layer of spent Christmas greens in January.

It's a wrap!

Finally - protect your newly planted shrubs with a burlap wrap. By staking while the ground is still pliable you'll have a structure to "wrap" your tenders up for the winter. This is particularly helpful for tall upright evergreens, whose limbs will have a tendency to snap under heavy winter snow loads. A wrapped plant will shed snow like water off of a duck's back.