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Winter Protection

12/11/2021

By: Lyn Chimera

Winter means it’s time to protect your garden for the upcoming season. Whether you have critter problems or are protecting your plants against the harsh weather conditions, a little effort now can make the difference between a healthy or dead plant come spring.

A big issue is critter control. Damage from deer, rabbits and mice can be devastating to many shrubs and trees. Your yard may wind up looking like a fortress, but preventative measures really work!

First let’s look at deer protection:

Fencing is the most effective way to prevent deer from making a salad bar out of your shrubs. There are many types of protective fencing available including a sturdy deer mesh that is not too visible from the street. The deer mesh is somewhat expensive but reusable for many years. All you need is some wood or metal stakes to attach the fencing. It’s very easy and works!! Just make sure you have the barrier far enough from the plant and high enough so the deer can’t reach over it. Remember they can stand up on their hind legs to eat!! Burlap or snow fencing can also be used along with shrub coats. Once you invest in a shrub coat you can use it for years.
Deer sprays can be affective but needs to be reapplied and are not effective in temperatures below 50. There are a few sprays available that last the whole winter however, they leave a grey, powdery coating which takes a while to wear off. It doesn’t hurt the plants, but some people don’t like the way it looks.
If you have young trees deer will love rubbing their antlers on the bark. You can get tree guard tubing for around the bark which prevents the rubbing. This also helps with rabbits.

Next on the damage control list are rabbits and mice.

Placing a cylinder of 1⁄4-inch mesh hardware cloth around the trunk. The cylinder should extend 8-10 inches on the ground to keep mice away and 18 to 24 inches above the anticipated snow line for rabbit protection. You can also use chicken wire for rabbits. They do feed in winter so having the top of the barrier well above the snow line is crucial as the rabbits can hop on top of deep snow and munch away. Hardware cloth can be left on year-round, but it must be larger than the trunk to allow for growth and removed as soon as the trunk grows enough to get close.

General winterizing:

The freezing winds of winter can be terribly damaging to some shrubs. Burlap and shrub coats are very effective protection. I find a pyramid shape works well with the burlap.
Any newly planted or tender perennials should be given an extra thick layer of mulch to help prevent the ground temperature from fluctuating. It’s the repeated freezing and thawing of the soil that causes plants to “heave” or be pushed up out of the soil. It’s important not to mulch BEFORE THE GROUND freezes, however. Mulching too soon invites small rodents who are looking for a warm spot for the winter to snuggle in.
I usually wait until after the holidays for this chore and cut up some pine boughs to lay over the plants and shrubs. They are easy to put down and easily removed in the spring. Discarded Christmas trees are readily available.

One last thought...Leaves are a wonderful resource. Please don’t waste them. There are lots of ways to use nature’s leaf bounty:

Mulch them with your lawn mower and leave them on the grass! Mulched leaves are an excellent natural fertilizer for your lawn.
If the leaves are too thick to leave them all on the lawn, mulched leaves are a wonderful addition to a compost pile.
Mulched leaves are also excellent as soil amendment in your garden beds. Just scatter the mulched leaves throughout the garden. It’s like stewing colorful confetti! Once the ground freezes you can also use them as a mulch to protect tender perennials and shrubs.
If you still have leaves left over, store the mulched dry leaves in garbage bags or
containers and use them as soil amendments and leaf mold next spring. Poke some holes in the bags to allow for heat and excess moisture to escape.
I also scatter mulched leaves under shrubs and into ground cover. It decomposes and is great way to fertilize. When adding mulched leaves to ground cover I just toss them over the top and gently work them in with a broom.

It all sounds like a lot of work, but it’s well worth it in the long run!

HAPPY GARDENING!
Lyn Chimera
Lessons From Nature
716-652-2432
lyn@lessonsfromnature.biz

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December 2021 Gardening Tips

12/1/2021

Dear Gardening Friends,

I hope all of you have a HAPPY, SAFE and HEALTY Holiday season and New Year!! The following are some things you can do now.

-With the lack of consistent snow cover, it’s important to protect your plants from temperature fluctuations. An easy way to do this is to lightly cover plants that were new this year or have shallow roots. A few options are:

Pine boughs – they make an easy and excellent winter mulch. As soon as people discard their Christmas trees I go around and clip the larger branches from the bottom then place them over plants that needed protection. You can also check out your local dump (where the village/town takes all the trees) and cut enough for the whole yard in a short time. It’s a wonderful way to get some quick and easy mulch that works well. So, take advantage of this free resource. (Just don’t collect from my neighborhood!)
Leaves work well also. Instead of raking them all to the street save a few bags or piles to much those tender perennials.
Straw can be used in the same way and purchased at a garden or farm supply store. The important thing is not to use hay which would drop seeds and turn your garden into a hayfield. Trust me, I speak from experience!
This is a good time to prune away any branches that have been or might be damaged from winter wind or in the way. Make sure to trim back to a branch join and not leave stubs. Most other pruning should wait till late winter/early spring.
Picking up downed branches and debris is always a good winter job. Just be mindful of walking on soft garden or turf.

Houseplants: This is the time of year when some houseplants are probably needing a little attention.

Trim off yellowing/ browning leaves or branches.
Give your plants a shower to wash off the dust. Either in the sink or tub. The laves of larger plants can be wiped down with a natural sponge or damp soft cloth.
Check for insects. If there is sticky residue on leaves or areas under a plant that is a sign of scale, aphid or white fly. Check online at a”.edu” site for what to do.
If your plant has a white crusty residue on the soil or water runs right through the pot when you water, the plant should be repotted later in the winter when the days get longer. Use a good lightweight potting mix.
By mid-February you can start repotting and taking cuttings of overwintering annuals or houseplants

Misc.:

This is a good time to look through catalogues and plan for the upcoming season.
Don’t just look at the pretty flowers in catalogues, be sure to match any plants you plan to use to the growing conditions you have and consider adding a few natives.

     Gift suggestions: There are a few great books I’d like to suggest giving a fellow gardener or treat yourself:

     Nature’s Best Hope, by Doug Tallamy. This book covers a new approach to conservation which starts in your yard.
     Deer Resistant Native Plants for the Northeast, by Ruth Rogers Clausen and Gregory Tipper. A wonderful resource for anyone with deer issues. Covers detailed information about each plant.

Educational Opportunities: What better way to spend a winter’s day than attending a gardening class. It will help you improve your gardening and get you in the mood for spring. There are 2 excellent Master Gardener events coming up. Put them on your calendar and more details will be in the January Garden Tips.

Annual Spring Bloom Classes:

Saturday, February 12, 9:00-11:45 - Backyard Gardening, Food and Flowers. Two sessions to be held live at a city location

Saturday, February 26, 9:00-11:45 - Pollinators and the Plants They Love – Two sessions to be held on Zoom.

For details go to http://erie.cce.cornell.edu/events

MG Education Day:

MGED is Saturday March 12, 2022 at Classics V Banquet Center. Those of you who have attended in the past know what a fun and educational day this is. We have 2 outstanding presenters:

Joseph Tychonievich, rated one of the best gardening speakers in the country and noted author will make two presentations:
            Rock Gardening, Reimagining a Classic Style for Today’s Garden
            Great, Non-Wimpy Plants that You Don’t Already Grow

Joseph Han, owner of The English Gardener Landscaping Company will present on:
            Floriferous Design

Registration will begin Febuary 1^st. Trust me, you won’t want to miss this amazing and fun day.

More detailed information will be in January Garden Tips.

Winter Garden Consultations: Yes, I do winter consultations. If you’re planning changes in your landscape this coming season getting an early start planning now will be helpful. Having a Garden Consultation in the winter is a good way to start. Just call me for an appointment.

Happy Gardening!
Lyn Chimera
Lessons from Nature
170 Pine St.
E. Aurora, NY 14052
lyn@lessonsfromnature.biz
652-2432

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Winter Protection

December 2021 Gardening Tips

Dear Gardening Friends,