14November 21, 2012
November is winding down and it is time to finish up any of your gardening chores. You never know when the snow will fly!
Hopefully, by now, you have the leaves raked up and put into your compost pile. If you allow the leaves to sit on the lawn, the sheer volume of leaves can smother the grass. Leaving a lot of leaves can also offer a lot of protection for moles that may tunnel through your lawn all winter.
The wind during the winter will dry out your broadleaf evergreens. Rhododendrons, azaleas, boxwood and mountain laurel, to name a few, will have their leaves turn brown if they are not protected from the wind. You can spray these plants with an anti-desiccant spray. This product puts a waxy coating on the leaves. The wax protects the leaves by cutting down on the amount of moisture lost by 30 to 50%.
You can also wrap the shrubs with burlap. The burlap allows some air to pass through the fabric, yet still prevents the wind from pulling too much moisture out of the leaves.
Last year, we found some nifty plant covers at one of the trade shows we attend. The cover is made out of a woven green poly. The weave allows the rain and some air to penetrate the fabric. The poly has an internal structure made of steel that hold the poly in place. The frame prevents snow from crushing the poly. The cover is held in place by tent pegs that help to keep the cover in place. The cover also folds flat, making storage a snap. The cover comes in 4 sizes. This is a fast way to cover your shrubs and it is re-usable from year to year.
It is not too late to get lime applied to your lawn. You can apply lime as long as the ground is not frozen. You can also apply lime to your vegetable garden and perennial beds too.
I have told you about applying an anti-desiccant spray to your shrubs to keep the shrubs from drying out in the wind. This product can also be applied to wreaths and garland that you put outside during the holidays. The wax helps to prevent needle drop and helps to keep the wreaths and garland looking great all through the season. If you put evergreen boughs in your window boxes or other planters, you can spray these greens too to keep them looking better throughout the holiday season.
Well, that’s all for this week. I hope you have a stress free Thanksgiving. We will be closed on Thanksgiving but we will re-open on Friday with our Christmas Decorating shop in full swing. If you never have seen what we do for holiday decorating, you really do need to stop by and see what we have to offer. You will be pleasantly surprised.
I’ll talk to you again next week.