Boxwood need protection!
As a landscaper that works late into the season it is easy to see that many homeowners stop watering their plants once the leaves have fallen. Most years is it okay to hang the hose up early especially if your plants are mature. On the other hand, take this mini-drought we are having, cross that with dry soil and an impending brutal winter and presto a recipe for many crispy looking plants in the spring - especially newly planted landscapes. My advise to anybody right now: 1) use Wilfpruf on Rhododendrons, evergreens and Boxwood 2) wrap smaller evergreens and the trunks of new trees with burlap 3) give your trees and garden plants a long drink now and again right before the first big snow 4) protect plants from road salt and dog urine as they both will dry out plants 5) shovel snow on new plants in a not-so-heavy-snow winter – it acts as a blanket 5) add leaves around plants if you are lazy and don’t want to bag leaves 6) pour a pail of warm water on the root area near your favorite newly planted evergreen once the winter is fading – this will help alleviate any windburn that might occur in March or April.
These tips will help you and your plants get through this stretch of dry weather as well as a long winter ahead!
Andy Freeland
Andy how exactly can we protect lawn & plants from salt and dog urine? Would love some how to’s
That is a huge challenge in winter. These toxins accumulate as there is not place for them to go because they freeze right away. I wish we could run our irrigation/sprinklers in the winter to water this problem down. Since we can’t do this your best bet is to limit your salting on walks, shoveling driveway snow down by the road in areas where salt may have dripped off cars during a holiday party, trying to have the dog pee in different areas or shoveling “mass pee” areas behind the garage, and finally using Wiltpruf on evergreens and Rhodos. The Wiltpruf will act as a micro-shield preventing burning by urine or salt.
I got a sutnan working in the garden yesterday in Vancouver:o) It is supposed to rain for the next couple of days, but 13 degrees yesterday was great!
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