Most people think that the winter is the perfect time to do nothing in their yard and garden. Not so! The following is a list of the maintenance issues that can be addressed in the winter, as well as guidance in planning for the year to come.
1. Take a walk through your yard and garden. Take a look at the woody plants that surround you. Make notes regarding the need for fertilizer (best applied in early spring before foliage emerges), any insect infestations (limbs that look abnormally thick may be holding an egg mass) or a fungus that's taken a hold on your woody plants. The healthier the tree is the less likely it will become infested, so maintaining the strength and vitality of your tree. By properly pruning, watering, mulching and fertilizing them. "Fertilizing trees and shrubs in your landscape is not necessarily an annual ritual. Many gardeners have the false impression that the more fertilizer they apply the more the plant will grow. Fertilizer is not plant food. Plants use water, carbon dioxide, elements from fertilizer, and energy from the sun to produce their own food...Addition of the correct amount of fertilizer can promote healthy flower production and foliage growth while an excessive fertilizer application can decrease plant health and can lead to decline and death." (www.na.fs.fed.us) If you are not sure if fertilizer is needed, please call a professional.
2. Prune! Trees and shrubs are dormant and bleeding (loss of sap) is minimal. IN A FEW CASES IT'S BEST TO WAIT (SEE BELOW), but for the most part, it's best to prune while they are dormant. By pruning during the dormant season you are minimizing sap and resin flow from cut branches reducing the changes of insect infestation and/or disease, you can also see the structure of the tree and thus make more precise cuts. Prune trees and shrubs without showy flowers during the dormant season. You can also prune flowering trees and shrubs during the dormant season for the reasons stated above. However, to help preserve the flowers for the coming season prune trees and shrubs that flower in early spring (redbud, dogwood, etc.) immediately AFTER FLOWERING. The exceptions are many varieties of crabapple, hawthorn, pear, mountain ash,flowering quince and pyracantha which should be pruned during the winter. Trees and shrubs that flower in the summer or fall always should be pruned during the winter. Dead branches should, and can, be removed any time of the year. If you have questions, always check with your counties extension office or a horticulturist for more specific information.
3. Plan, plan, plan! If you are lucky you are starting to see the tops of stone walls, tree stumps and maybe a bit of grass under the snow. There many even be a short thaw. Animals start to become much more active. This is the time to start drawing out diagrams and planting beds for the coming year. Hopefully you have kept notes, ideas and comments from the previous year. (If not, try and keep a record this coming year, it cuts down on impulse buys that are later regretted). Take out any documentation from last year. Pull out the catalogs, I keep mine stashed in a quiet corner from when they start arriving (December and January) until I'm ready to sit down and plan for the upcoming year. Take your time in creating a landscape that you are excited about caring for. Remember to consider maintenance for the year, there is nothing more depressing then seeing a beautiful garden taken over by weeds.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Plan now for spring
The winter is the best time to plan for the upcoming year or design an existing garden. Whether you are planning on planting vegetables, perennials, shrubs or trees, here are a few steps to follow anytime you are planning to install plants.
The first step is to layout the area that you are planting. Ideally you should have the layout to scale. Use graph paper if needed.
Next choose what colors, textures and size of plants you would like. This will keep you focused and help to eliminate being overwhelmed. When you are flipping through catalogs and doing research online to not the mature size for the plant in question.
Choose plants that fit into the specifications that you have created. There are numerous catalogs and resources online that can help you choose the correct plant for your zone. (if you aren't sure what your zone is check here: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html). Some of my favorite places to do research is either the Cornell Cooperative Extension (http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/) or Uconn Cooperative Extension (http://www.ladybug.uconn.edu/). Both sites are packed full of information about soil and site requirements for planting, invasive species, pest control solutions and infestations. All of these things are important when you are planning a garden.
After you have gathered all of your dream plants and done your research, start laying them out on the scaled drawing of your garden. This will help to make sure everything will fit. The worst thing you can do for newly established plants in crowd them, if they are not given enough space and water, they will die.
Once you have designed your garden, price it out. It's shocking how much the plants can cost once you have completed your garden. This might also be the time you have to force yourself to do some editing of your plants. Do you keep the expensive, amazingly beautiful plants for more budget friendly common varieties? Do you keep a few exotics and supplement them with cheaper perennials? Does it make sense to plan and install a 20'x20' vegetable garden if you are single? This is the largest stumbling block on the way to a dream garden. Be realistic, you can always add to it next year.
Think long and hard about maintenance. Are you planning on spending a few hours a week outside weeding? If you are, great! You may want a mostly perennial garden that you can fuss over. If weeding, deadheading and trimming are not your idea of fun, there are many many choices still out there. Choose non-flowering shrubs, plant them with the appropriate space apart and you can have an attractive tidy garden.
Once you have designed, planned and budgeted for your garden choose a time for planting. We start seedlings the weekend after Saint Patrick's Day. We keep them in a greenhouse or indoors on tables. Perennials, shrubs and trees can be planted as soon as the ground thaws, but we generally do not plant until early May. Make sure the threat of frost has passed before planting any annuals, vegetables seedlings or any tender plants.
If you follow these steps will ensure the plants thrive and grow for years to come.
Receive 20% off design services this winter
Call today to secure your place in our schedule
845.876.5198
valid 12.1.09-2.28.10
The first step is to layout the area that you are planting. Ideally you should have the layout to scale. Use graph paper if needed.
Next choose what colors, textures and size of plants you would like. This will keep you focused and help to eliminate being overwhelmed. When you are flipping through catalogs and doing research online to not the mature size for the plant in question.
Choose plants that fit into the specifications that you have created. There are numerous catalogs and resources online that can help you choose the correct plant for your zone. (if you aren't sure what your zone is check here: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html). Some of my favorite places to do research is either the Cornell Cooperative Extension (http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/) or Uconn Cooperative Extension (http://www.ladybug.uconn.edu/). Both sites are packed full of information about soil and site requirements for planting, invasive species, pest control solutions and infestations. All of these things are important when you are planning a garden.
After you have gathered all of your dream plants and done your research, start laying them out on the scaled drawing of your garden. This will help to make sure everything will fit. The worst thing you can do for newly established plants in crowd them, if they are not given enough space and water, they will die.
Once you have designed your garden, price it out. It's shocking how much the plants can cost once you have completed your garden. This might also be the time you have to force yourself to do some editing of your plants. Do you keep the expensive, amazingly beautiful plants for more budget friendly common varieties? Do you keep a few exotics and supplement them with cheaper perennials? Does it make sense to plan and install a 20'x20' vegetable garden if you are single? This is the largest stumbling block on the way to a dream garden. Be realistic, you can always add to it next year.
Think long and hard about maintenance. Are you planning on spending a few hours a week outside weeding? If you are, great! You may want a mostly perennial garden that you can fuss over. If weeding, deadheading and trimming are not your idea of fun, there are many many choices still out there. Choose non-flowering shrubs, plant them with the appropriate space apart and you can have an attractive tidy garden.
Once you have designed, planned and budgeted for your garden choose a time for planting. We start seedlings the weekend after Saint Patrick's Day. We keep them in a greenhouse or indoors on tables. Perennials, shrubs and trees can be planted as soon as the ground thaws, but we generally do not plant until early May. Make sure the threat of frost has passed before planting any annuals, vegetables seedlings or any tender plants.
If you follow these steps will ensure the plants thrive and grow for years to come.
Receive 20% off design services this winter
Call today to secure your place in our schedule
845.876.5198
valid 12.1.09-2.28.10
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