January, 2014 | Gardening with Cheryl

Archive for January, 2014

Tips on Assessing Winter Plant Damage

January 30th, 2014

Drying out – lack of fall & winter moisture – especially with evergreens – burned needles or leaves – soil eroded away from roots

Help: water during early spring to rehydrate – apply a 2 inch layer of mulch to further prevent moisture loss & work to raise soil level around plant

Plants popped out of ground from freezing/thawing cycles

Help: replant in the ground as quickly as possible to prevent plant dying from exposure

Freeze injury – usually on new growth – look for dead branch tips and branches

Help: avoid late summer to early fall fertilizing

Bark Split – rapid temperatures changes can cause tree barks to crack or split – common on soft wood trees such as cherry and pear trees (both fruiting and flowering varieties)

Help: wrap trunks for winter protection – remove wrapping before warm spring weather – once this happens there is no way to correct it – any long term damage would be determined by the severity and depth of the crack or split

Root injury can occur with plants growing in containers and planters – damage can be permanent yet not show up until mid to late spring

Help: protect plants growing in containers by moving them to protected areas – remember they will need moisture over the winter months to prevent drying out – plant containers in the ground or mound sawdust around them – wrap the containers in bubble wrap or heavy fabric and secure – for permanent planters, put a thick layer of mulch down to help keep potting soil at a more stable temperature

Broken branches should be pruned as soon as possible to prevent further branch or trunk damage

Some winter damage will not appear until spring growing season begins – branches that do not produce leaf or flower buds (depending on variety) should be considered for removal – evergreen plants may not show winter damage until summer months when brown patches may appear – some brown patches can be pruned out – large brown areas may not grow back on many evergreen trees

Road salt runoff damage – generally shows up on plants that are nearer roads or streets where roads are salted – areas within 20 feet of the road can be affected by salt runoff – damage may not show up until growing season – damage typically looks as though the whole plant has been burned – other plants may only show as burn or scorch on leaves or around leaf edges – road salt can build up in the soil over the years and all of a sudden poison the plants

Help: flush the area in spring with about 2 inches of water over a 2 to 3 hour period repeating 3 days later including areas that may have been salted by hand such as porches, steps and walkways – alternatives to salt are sand and sawdust

Visit Greenwood Nursery for a wide selection of plants for your landscape.

Tags: assessing damage, bark split, evergreen, freeze damage, homeowners plant damage, ice damage, plant, plant damage, Root, snow damage, Sodium chloride, Soil, winter damage, winter plant damage
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Most Common Gardening Mistakes and How to Correct Them

January 27th, 2014

Do you actually realize that gardening mistakes can even happen right in your own yard? Whether you think that your garden looks good or not, it really doesn’t matter. If everything doesn’t work, your whole garden will not work. Here are listed the top 8 gardening mistakes and the ways to correct them:

1.   Grass is not greener. This ranks number 1. Why? Most gardens have lawn, but one may be slightly greener than the other. If your lawn looks more than the soil underneath, it is time to reassess your watering, fertilizing and mowing schedule. Think where you have gone wrong and make the necessary adjustments on the areas mentioned. If nothing happens, replacing your entire lawn is a better alternative. Consider other ground covers such as vinca minor and other grass alternatives.
2.   Tools and clutter are everywhere. They may be useful objects, but if they are stacked in your garage because you think they are not worth the storage, they don’t just look like junk, they are junk. Go over them one by one and determine whether you want to keep them or not. Your criteria when deciding if they deserve the trip to dump or not is simple: Ask yourself, do you specific plans for them?
3.   Your home and garden can be seen from the road. There are several short- and long-term solutions to create some privacy. One quick-fix solution is to build a concrete wall that would separate your garden from the side walk. For a longer, much appealing look, planting fast-growing shrubs is a good idea.
4.   Weeds invasion. Weeds problem can be solved by keeping your lawn regularly maintained. Check for weeds as often as you can. Dig the weeds out by hand and keep the weed from re-growing by seeding the empty areas of your lawn.
5.   Limited space. If your problem is space, then here’s one idea that can definitely help you maximize every square inch of your garden: think vertical. Create a sense of lush greenery by using wall space, arbors and trellises to allow plants to climb upwards.
6.   Where’s your home? If shrubs have swallowed your home, then a hedge clipper comes in handy. Cut everything that is blocking your way. Seriously, you want a garden, not a house in the middle of the forest.
7.   Dry spell in winter. Most garden plants do not survive the winter temperature. Hence they die. When planning for a garden, think of the plants that can grow year round. Or you can always include evergreens and plants with winter interests.
8.   Fences are falling apart. Fences are not just to separate your property from your neighbor’s. They also add to the overall look of your garden. Make sure that you maintain the looks of your fences like the way you keep your plants.

Tags: fast growing shrubs, garden plants, gardening mistakes, grass alternatives, most common garden mistakes, vinca minor
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Plant a Summer Flowering Rose of Sharon Shrub Hedge

January 27th, 2014

For summer flowering, plant a Rose of Sharon shrub hedge. Hardy in zones 5 through 9, Hibiscus syriacus shrubs perform at their best as full sun shrubs and planted in well drained soil. These flowering shrubs provide long lasting blooms from mid summer to frost. Though they will grow in partially sunny to lightly shaded areas, their blooming may be limited. Rose of Sharon or hibiscus syriacus, which is a deciduous shrub also known as Hardy Hibiscus and Althea.

Although Rose of Sharon bushes will lose their leaves in winter, they still make beautiful flowering privacy hedges in areas for summer use such as planting around swimming pools. Their unusually large blooms attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees from mid summer until frost. As these hibiscus bloom much later than most other plants, they are, also, later to leaf out. Expect rose of sharon to leaf out in late spring to early summer.