~ November 10, 2010 ~
Catalog Crazy...
I have been outside doing something or other since Saturday. I am trying to squeeze
every bit of this wonderful weather out of every day. I have a feeling my days are
numbered (perhaps by two) with colder, wetter weather looming in our forecast. Rain,
something we need badly, is always welcome. Snow on the other hand, not so much.
I like my snow once a year and that would happen to be on Christmas Eve. I know, I
must be crazy to live in the Midwest. Last year I nearly went crazy being shut in for three
months straight with all that snow. It's tough when you are a outside person to be
stuck inside. Yes, I have a big winter coat and nice warm boots but once you get all
of that stuff on it is quite difficult to get around. I do venture out to walk Sam
Parker but that's about as good as it gets. I don't like the cold and as I grow older
I understand why people migrate to warmer climes during the winter. Note to self,
talk to husband about winter migration.
Holiday catalogs and magazines are arriving daily in the mail. Now is the time that
I actually pick through those that I've been stacking for months and find time to peruse
them. It's like saving all of the really good Halloween candy for last. Thank goodness
the catalogs aren't edible. I'm sure I would not be able to resist. Garden Design, Horticulture,
Country Living, Veranda, Better Homes & Garden, Midwest Living, Garden Gate... you get the picture.
I was seated by myself on the sofa admiring the cover of this month's Garden Design. I love to look
at the pictures in this magazine. Really, I read very little of it but boy to I love the photography.
I will read the caption to see the location of the garden but I find this magazine to be a bit fluffy.
That doesn't mean I don't like it because I do, but what I really like is the pictures. I turn the pages
like some little girl reading a fairytale. Kevin especially likes it when I open a new magazine and I'm
like, "Oh, this is so beautiful, look." Or, "Oh, my would you look at this." I'm sure it is all pretty
annoying. It is hard to not want to share the beauty that lies between the pages and especially hard not
to enjoy the good information found in many.
~ Shelly
Bunny Love...
During the winter months, rabbits often gnaw on the bark of
many woody plants. Heavy browsing can result in the complete
girdling of small trees and small branches clipped off at snow
level. Apple, pear, crabapple and serviceberry are frequent
targets of rabbits. Small trees with smooth, thin bark are the
most vulnerable. Other frequently damaged plants include the
winged euonymus or burning bush, Japanese barberry, dogwood,
roses and raspberries.
The best way to prevent rabbit damage to young trees is to place a
cylinder of hardware cloth (1/4 inch mesh wire fencing) around
the tree trunk. The hardware cloth cylinder should stand about 1
to 2 inches from the tree trunk and 20 inches above the ground.
The bottom 2 to 3 inches should be buried beneath the soil. Small
shrubs, roses and raspberries can be protected with chicken wire
fencing.
Cold Cuts...
Now that we've got a couple of killing frosts under our belts
it's time to do some cutting back of dormant perennials. Cut
them back to about 3 inches above the soil surface. Once the
ground is frozen, they can be mulched to guard against
displacement due to soil heaving. These simple steps will help
ensure a successful show of foliage and color next season.
Well Watered For Winter...
For maximum winter protection, Savvygardeners need to water landscape
evergreens thoroughly once every week or so until the ground freezes.
Evergreens continue to lose moisture from their foliage all winter,
but once the ground is frozen, they'll be unable to take up enough
water to replace it. Sending them into winter well watered reduces the
potential for damaged foliage. There's more... broadleaved and
tender evergreens exposed to drying winds and sun may need to be
shaded on the south and southwest sides to reduce moisture loss
and foliage injury.
Cold Storage At Your Feet...
Need a good place to store root crops? Just look down! Carrots, radishes,
turnips and Jerusalem artichokes store well outdoors in the ground. Just
before the ground freezes, bury them under a deep layer of leaves or straw
to protect the ground from freezing. Simply harvest them as needed during
winter by pulling back this protective mulch and digging them up. Just make
sure you replace the mulch after each visit!
Note: This is not an effective storage method where rodents, rabbits, or
other critters are present and hungry.
When Fruits And Vegetables Don't Get Along...
If you decide to store your vegetables indoors (instead of in the ground like
we mentioned above) make sure you don't place them with any apples or pears.
As they sit these fruits give off ethylene gas which speeds up the breakdown
of vegetables and causes them to develop off-flavors. Yuck!
Preparing for Winter...
Each year we are asked for a reminder of what to do to prepare for winter.
While recent temperatures have been up and down, there is no doubt that permanent
cold weather is around the corner. Take advantage of the current mild weather and
prepare for winter now, while you can still work in relative comfort outdoors!
You'll find a handy checklist in our feature article,
Preparing for Winter in the Garden...
Wild Things In Lawns...
Wild onion and wild garlic are difficult-to-control weeds. These weeds look
very similar to the garden variety onion except the stems of the wild type
are much thinner and do not grow as tall as the garden variety. The most
effective method for controlling onion and garlic is to create a dense
turf through proper fertilization and regular mowing, thereby making these
weeds less noticeable and less problematic.
Wild onion and garlic die back to underground bulbs during early summer, but
bulbs will germinate during the fall and winter. Selective chemical control
is difficult and normally ineffective, so co-existing with these plants is
often the best choice. One method is to apply 2,4-D immediately after mowing
so the herbicide can enter through the cut leaves. This will usually burn back
the leaves but may not kill the underground bulb, thus multiple years of
applications will be needed.
Source
Finally...
"Frost is the greatest artist in our clime
He paints
in nature and describes in
rime."
~ Thomas Hood
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