Burlap Plant Protection 

Every neighborhood has one or maybe more than one.  You know, the home where the hedges are yellow instead of green.  To avoid becoming “that home”, protect your plants during winter with burlap.

Winter has many weather hazards such as snow, ice, cold temperatures and wind.  Here are three ways burlap helps protect your investment.

1.    Prevent “Winter Burn”.  During winter months, evergreen plants are unable to replenish their moisture due to the frozen ground.  Water is lost from leaves/needles through a process called transpiration (go ahead and use that word at your next social outing). Transpiration occurs year-round but can be problematic during winter and can cause plants to dehydrate.  Burlap helps to prevent excess transpiration and insulates against drying winds.

2.    Protect against salt damage.  Burlap creates a barrier to help protect against salt spray damage from road and sidewalk salt.  Salt spray can cause damage to foliage and stems.

3.    Allow plants to breathe.  Burlap provides protection for your plants while still allowing air to circulate and heat from the sun to escape. Other materials for plant protection don't have this ability and can end up causing more damage.

 
Thinking of your plants during the winter months will protect your landscape investment, will help plants to continue to thrive for many seasons to come, and will prevent you from becoming “that home”.

After the heat of the summer, when your perennials begin to look weathered and exhausted — or they're just falling over — it's time to grab your garden gloves and a spade to divide and solve the overcrowding problem.

Most perennials should be divided at some point. Often, your perennials need to be divided every two to three years. Otherwise, your blooms will be competing for nutrients and water and plants can outgrow their welcome. Many hardy perennials don't seem to skip a blooming beat once settled in a new location. Just fertilize regularly and add mulch when needed.

How do you know when to divide your blooms? Use this rule of thumb: If your perennials flower in spring and summer, fall is considered the ideal time to divide them. 

FOUR PERENNIALS TO DIVIDE IN THE FALL:

Sedum “Autumn Joy”: When there are so many blooms they are falling over it's time to divide. Once blooming is complete cut sedum to 6” above ground prior to dividing.  This allows for the plants to be more easily handled.  

Hosta: Divide Hosta after plentiful rain or a thorough watering the evening before so soil better adheres to the roots. September is a good month for most climates. Divide when Hosta look overcrowded in the space where planted.

Daylily: The best time to divide is when the clumps of stems provide fewer blooms throughout the season. Divide in late summer to early fall after the last flowering of the season. 

Siberian Iris: When the middle clumps stop producing blooms and the irises spread way beyond their boundaries, it's time to divide. Divide after the last bloom of the season.

There's nothing wrong with digging up these free perennials. Relocate the divided plant to a new spot or add them to a container in your garden. Dividing your plants is much easier than it seems and doesn't take much time. Who knew your landscape could produce so many more valuable plantings! 

In cooler regions such as Michigan, dig up the bulbs from plants such as Dahlias to store for the next season. Put peat moss in a ventilated box or bag, add the bulbs and move them to a dry place for safekeeping until you can plant them again.  

Next spring you'll be rewarded with new, more vigorous plants to share or add to your garden!

Create a beautiful planter in your garden!

Decorative planter pots are a great way to add colorful interest and height to your landscape.  Many different planter styles are readily available at nursery centers, home and specialty stores. You may already have some in your own garage! The following varieties of planter pots are most common:

Ceramic or terra-cotta:

The fun part... planting the flowers!  Don't be shy, just dive right in!  When picking your plants, choose plants that have close to the same lighting needs (i.e.: full sun or partial shade).  Pick plants you enjoy and don't worry about trying to match.  They're flowers... they match everything!  Most planters contain a tall plant in the middle for height with several shorter or trailing varieties surrounding.  These are your planters so do what you like. Watering is also an important factor in keeping your plants healthy.  Once a day, set aside some time to water your planters and you'll be on your way to growing beautiful arrangements!

The right plant for the right place.

As with many things, it pays to plan ahead when designing your landscape.  Like you and I, plants have requirements in order to thrive.  Healthy plants will resist disease, require less water, and add to the value of your home.  When deciding on plant varieties it is important to keep a couple things in mind to give those plants what they need to thrive in your yard. 

What type of soil do you have?  Is your soil clay, sand, or something in-between?  Complete clay is hard, compacts easily and will retain water near the roots which can lead to drowning of the plant.  Sand drains easily causing water to pass through too quickly not allowing the plant to absorb what they need.  A happy medium can be achieved by amending the soil with a plant mix to give it a good balance. 

Sun exposure is important. Each plant has sun requirements.  A plant requiring full sun will not perform in a shade environment. 

Additionally, large trees, other buildings, wind, and sunlight patterns play roles in plant survival. For example a home which faces north will not receive direct sunlight in the front yard.  Shade tolerant plants should be used.  Japanese Maple trees shouldn't be planted in the direct path of winter winds.  Information on the specific plant requirements can be found on the plant tag.  Plant tags contain plant names, soil requirements, sun requirements, and mature plant size.  Some garden centers and growers provide plant tag information online as well.  

Armed with all of your new knowledge of soil type and sun exposure it is time to venture off to the garden center or nursery. Of course if you have questions ask a garden center associate or your landscaper.  Have fun, get outside and enjoy some complimentary Vitamin D!

Poison Ivy

The saying goes “if it has three let it be” which I'm not really sure if it's a saying or just something my mother told us kids to scare the hell out of us and prevent us from touching any plant with three leaves!  Either way the saying refers to Poison Ivy identification.

We have all heard about Poison Ivy but do we all really know how to identify it?  After many years in the landscape industry I can say with certainty that most people can't.  Reactions to the oils in this plant vary from no reaction at all to my need for a steroid prescription.  Due to my extreme reaction I have not only become comfortable dressing like an idiot in pants, long sleeves, rubber boots and gloves whenever needing to remove the plant no matter the temperature, but have also educated myself on its identification.

Poison Ivy can take the form of a small plant, shrub, small vine, or large vine that bears fruit and can blend in with many other common plants.   My mother's saying refers to the fact that the leaves on Poison Ivy grow in groups of three.  Additionally these leaves are irregular in shape, often times with one side of the leaf being rounded with the opposite side being a bit jagged almost resembling a mitten.  In the fall the leaves turn a vibrant red color and a really mature plant will produce green or cream colored berries.   Poison Ivy is commonly mistaken as a Virginia Creeper or Raspberry plant. 

Now that you are an expert at Poison Ivy identification what do you do when you find some in your yard?  I find the best way to control Poison Ivy is to treat it with nonselective herbicide several times until it dries up and then dig up and dispose of the plant.  Be sure to follow the label instructions whenever using chemical products. 

If you only have your heart set on being an expert identifier and not an expert remover you can always contact a landscape contractor to help you out!