Fall Tree Protection

Posted on by Beth

Fall is in full swing. As you begin to check off your fall to-do lists around the yard, don’t forget to protect your trees for winter. What exactly are you protecting your trees from you may ask?

Young trees benefit from having their trunks protected with either a trunk guard or tree wrap. This protective covering keeps deer from rubbing their horns and tearing the bark during rut and rabbits from potentially girdling your trees.

Another benefit of protecting your trees is reducing the risk of sun scald. Sun scald occurs during winter when the sun’s heat reflects off the snow, warming the bark, and the trunk freezes overnight. This repeated thaw and freeze can cause a crack to form and the bark peels away from the tree. This result does not threaten the tree but is typically an eyesore.

We can help you cross off this task from your list! We have both tree wrap and guards in stock.

The breathable fabric tree wrap comes as a 3″x50′ roll and the corrugated tree guards come in sizes of 2″ diameter up to 4″ diameter to fit a large assortment of trees.

Stop at the garden center and let our staff assist you in protecting your trees for fall and winter.

 

Fabric Tree Wrap 3″x50′ Roll

Trunk Guards Available in 2″-4″ Diameters

Fall Planting

Posted on by Marietta Buchner

Why Plant in Fall?

There are many reasons.  The soil is still warm enough to encourage roots to grow whereas in spring the soil is still warming up from the winter.  Due to the fact that the plant no longer produces many flowers or foliage, the plant is able to spend a lot of its energy building roots.  There is less shock and stress to the plant as it is about to go into dormancy.  Planting in fall gives your plant a 6 month head start against spring plantings.  Your plants will have less insects to deal with.  Then there are the benefits of less weeds and less watering.

Fall is also a time to divide some  perennials.  Some perennials that benefit from dividing in fall are asters, native coneflowers, monardas (bee balms), day lilies, liatris, peonies, black eyed susans, garden phlox and creeping phox, siberian iris, bearded iris and veronica.  This is not an all inclusive list but tries to list the most common perennials.  If you are unsure if your plant should be divided in fall, google the plant or talk to a knowledgeable person.

Fall planting is not just for perennials, but shrubs and trees also benefit from fall planting.

Our nursery still has lots of perennials in stock available for immediate planting.  Stop in before fall turns into winter.

 

Cut back perennials in fall or winter?

Posted on by Marietta Buchner

We have prepared a chart for you in hopes it may help you determine which perennials you should cut down before winter.   If you still are uncertain, you can always “google” your perennial for more information.

 

Click on the “cut back perennials in fall or winter” below and the chart should appear.

 

Cut back perennials in fall or winter?

September chores

Posted on by Marietta Buchner

Listed are a few chores that can be done in the September flower garden.

1) Discontinue deadheading annuals if you want them to reseed.
2) Cut back perennials if they are done blooming except those that provide winter food for wildlife.
3) Discontinue fertilizing plants.
4) Plant spring bulbs in late September.
5) Weed garden and rake up debris.
6) Cut injured or deceased parts of perennials off.
7) Discontinue deadheading perennials that provide winter food for birds.
8) Dig and divide daylilies and hostas.
9) Dig out any bulbs that are not winter hardy.
10) Look at your garden and make notes of wishful improvements.

FERTILIZER HOGS

Posted on by Marietta Buchner

Hanging annual flower baskets are fertilizer hogs. There are so many recommendations on what to use for fertilizer, from long acting fertilizers to making a tea solution. Probably the best fertilizers are the fast acting ones like Miracle Gro. Once the plant starts filling the baskets, it may be necessary to fertilize them at least once a week or more. Google fertilizing hanging baskets and see what type of fertilizer appeals to you. If you want your basket to look like the ones you see hanging from the light poles in cities and villages, you are going to have to fertilize and water faithfully.

Deadheading Flowers, Do or Don’t

Posted on by Marietta Buchner

What is deadheading? As flowers start fading, pinch or cut off the flower stem below the spent flower and just above the first set of full, healthy leaves. Should flowers be deadheaded? That depends on the flower. Generally most annuals and perennials will benefit from deadheading. If a flower blooms continuously, like zinnias, cosmos, and coneflowers, it will help the flower set more blooms. Flowers that bloom only once, such as foxgloves and hollyhocks should not be deadheaded as the spent flowers need to produce seed for next year’s bloom. Please note that it is NOT necessary to deadhead. Many gardeners find it relaxing and fullfilling to deadhead; to other gardeners it is a monotonous chore. If you are unsure if you should deadhead, check the flower out on the internet or call our nursery.

Gardening in August

Posted on by Marietta Buchner

As the garden season is winding down, following are a few suggestions on “Gardening in August”:

Quit fertilizing rose bushes, shrubs and trees after August 15th.
Start dividing flowers that need it, i.e. irises, hostas, daylilies, grasses, etc.
Continue watering evergreens until a hard freeze.
Continue weeding your garden.
Continue deadheading flowers that will continue to bloom.
Remove deceased plants from your garden.
If the annuals in your planters are wore out, consider replacing them with fall mums.
Harvest your herbs.

 

Important Garden Tasks to do before Winter:

Posted on by Marietta Buchner
  1. Clean and sharpen garden tools.
  2. Mow around young trees and fruit trees to prevent mice from nesting there.
  3. Put tree guards on or wrap young trees with tree wrap to prevent rodent damage.
  4. Read your animal/insect repellents to verify when to quit using them.
  5. Move indoors in a safe place, protected from young children, any liquid garden products.
  6. Clean, store and turn upside down outdoor containers.
  7. Rake fallen leaves off grass.
  8. Give all trees and shrubs, especially evergreens and boxwoods, a thorough watering before the ground freezes hard.
  9. Remove water from garden hoses before storing away.
  10. Cover compost pile with plastic or straw.
  11. Drain fuel tanks on lawn mowers, leaf blowers, etc

Note:  Some of this information was taken from “The Old Farmers Almanac”. 

On the Products and Plants pages in this website, you will find some pdf’s on overwintering hydrangeas and roses.

Your Perennial Garden: What plants to cut back or leave until spring.

Posted on by Marietta Buchner

Before winter, remove all diseased debris and broken branches from your flower garden.  Discard any remaining annuals.

Recommended perennials to cut back in fall are:  bearded iris; monarda (bee balm) unless it is new growth; gaillardia (blanket flower); nepeta (catmint); columbine; daylily (now or spring); bush clematis; helianthus; hollyhock; ligularia (now or spring); penstemon; peony; and helianthus.

These perennials are recommended to leave for spring cutting:  asclepias (butterfly weed); chrysanthemums (mammoth mums); and heuchera (coral bells).

Birds will appreciate it if you leave echinacea (cone flowers) and rudbeckia (black-eye Susans) or any other seed producing plants standing through winter.

Spring Cleaning of Perennial Gardens

Posted on by Marietta Buchner

Soon the snow will be gone and it will be time to start cleaning up your perennial garden. First remove old foliage from perennial plants.  Cut the stalks back to about 1/2 inch above the ground unless it is a crown plant, i.e. sedums, coral bells, etc.  Only dead and damaged leaves need to be removed from the crown plants.  Cut back your perennial grasses to about 3-4 inches above the ground if you have not already done so. Maybe leave a few blades of this dried grass behind for the birds to build nests. Next rake up all the old garden debris and matted leaves as this matter is a great hiding spot for slugs and insects plus it harbors disease. Dig out weeds. For healthier plants with more blooms consider putting down a thin layer of compost followed by a time-release fertilizer. Now sit back and enjoy your future blooms.

Deer and Rabbit Protection

Posted on by Cyanne Bredlau

Protect the bark of young shade trees, ornamental trees and shrubs this fall and winter from deer and rabbits. We recommend using trunk guards on your trees to keep deer from rubbing on the trunk. The white plastic trunk protectors are inexpensive, easy to install and reusable for several years, and will also protect tree bark from damage by mice, rabbits and winter sun. You can use tree wrap to keep rabbits from eating your tree as well. Make sure to protect newly planted shrubs and trees that are still tender to the rabbits and deer. Fence in the plants if possible. There are great spray repellants to use year round to keep the critters from snacking on your plants. This spring remember to get the systemic granular repellent into the garden as soon as your see leaves coming out and planting emerging from the ground!

DeWitt Tree Wrap protects trees from scorching, and from trimmer and mower damage. Tree Wrap is made of polypropylene fabric and easily conforms to fit any tree shape or bark texture. Tree Wrap slowly photodegrades to prevent girdling of the tree’s trunk.

 

Young trees are at risk of sun and animal-related trunk injury during the winter, so be sure to apply tree guards as part of your yearly process for preparing trees for winter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scent deters deer and rabbits from lawns and flower beds. Rain resistant formula that can be applied year-round. Covers up to 500 sq. ft.

 

• PROVEN by independent research to out-last and out-perform all other repellents—up to 6 months over-winter! • EFFECTIVE against: deer, rabbits, voles, elk, moose, chipmunks, squirrels, nutria, opossum, and mountain beaver. • RAIN-RESISTANT—no need to re-apply after every rainfall. • SAFE for use in vegetable gardens, on fruit trees and food crops. • ORGANIC—first animal repellent OMRI Listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute for food production.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It delivers a hot pepper concentrate through plant roots at the molecular level, making the plants inedible to animals. Because the active compound is protected inside the plant cells, it doesn’t washoff in the rain or degrade in sunlight. One treatment typically lasts the entire growing season.

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Protect your trees now!

Posted on by Cyanne Bredlau

 

Protect Your Trees Now From Japanese Beetles And Emerald Ash Borer!

 

Do-It-Yourself With Optrol.

Optrol is the product of choice for tree care professionals. It is the only retail product that provides the killing power needed to control Japanese Beetles and Emerald Ash Borer on all sizes of trees.

Optrol is a broad spectrum, easy to use, highly concentrated systemic insecticide that utilizes the proven performance of imidacloprid. It provides 12 months of protection and controls a wide variety of insect pests including Japanese beetles, Bronze Birch Borer, Emerald Ash Borer, Birch Leafminer, White grubs and more.

Optrol allows the highest application rates in the industry for maximum, research proven protection against the most difficult tree pests. It is great for small jobs or single trees. Just measure the amount you need for a tree, mix it with water, and apply.