WELCOME to the New Year.

If you have young, broadleaf, evergreen trees or shrubs, you may want to wrap them with a single layer of burlap to help protect them from the desiccating winter winds. The greatest damage usually occurs in late February, early March when the plant decides it’s time to start prepping for spring growth. If unprotected, these plants may suffer from leaf burn which will cause the affected leaves to die. The plant will usually bounce back, but this does require some extra effort, and may take a few extra months before the plant looks healthy again. Newly planted Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) will most definitely benefit from this effort.

SNOW & ICE
Try to brush heavy snow off of evergreen trees and shrubs. If allowed to stay, the snow could cause abnormal spreading between branches. Such damage is frequently seen in Boxwoods, Arborvitae and Upright Junipers and ‘Sky Pencil’ Japanese Holly. If desired, you can bind the plants with twine before the first snowfall. Though unsightly, it will protect the plants without your help. The twine can easily be removed in the spring.

Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about ice. If you attempt to break off the ice, you are likely to damage the plant even more. Just hope the ice melts as quickly as possible. In the spring, careful pruning can fix most of the winter damage. New spring growth will take care of the rest.

LAWN CARE
Winter is the perfect time to broadcast a slow release lime product to raise the alkalinity of the soil. For most lawns, an application of lime once a year is sufficient. If you are in a wooded area, there is always something dropping from the trees – flowers, seeds and leaves. When these decompose, they increase the acidity of the soil which in turn contributes to root rot in your lawn. You may need to spread lime several times a year to counteract this natural tendency. Try late fall before the leaves really begin to fall, mid-winter if there is no snow on the ground, and early spring before the new growth begins. In this area, March is generally a good time for the last application.