WINTER WEATHER IS UPON US
We have been incredibly lucky with a relatively easy winter so far. It’s been cold, but not unbearable. February is usually our most challenging month, so I guess we should brace ourselves for what might come. If you have newly planted evergreen shrubs, and have yet to protect them against winter burn, it’s not too late, if you hurry. For the young, broadleaf evergreens, sometimes wrapping the sides with burlap is sufficient to protect against desiccating winds.
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, fishing line or vinyl coated wire before the first snowfall. Though somewhat visible, it will protect the plants without your help. The binding 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.
THINKING ABOUT ADDING TO YOUR LANDSCAPING IN THE SPRING? It’s not too soon to give me a call. I’ll be happy to help you with your plans.
DO CONTACT YOUR LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR NOW. If you know there’s a real good chance that you will have winter damage that will need attention this spring, do try to get a date on your contractor’s schedule. The schedule for the spring will be filling up quickly, especially as soon as the weather breaks. If you have a special occasion coming up this season, do share that information with your contractor. They will usually try to accommodate these requests.
The DEER will be voracious. Spray everything on the first sunny day we have, and the temperature is above 40. Be on the lookout for browsing in case you will need to take more drastic measures, such as wrapping your shrubs with deer mesh. Check existing deer mesh for holes. In one case, the deer made a slit near the bottom, and came in under the fence.
Stay warm, and remember, you can always call if you have any questions.
