Help your shrubs go the winter with these tips on how to protect them from damage due to rough atmospheric condition and athirst critters .
Shrubs are garden workhorses , providing ocular structure , colorful bloom and leafage , and wildlife habitat year - round , even in wintertime . But the cold-blooded months of the year can be the most challenging for these plant thanks to sudden icy blasts , hit - and - miss wet , and hungry critter . wintertime damage ordinarily becomes evident the following leap , when shrubs are already in recovery manner or even dying . That ’s why it ’s best to take the following steps to protect your bush before nose candy , ice , drying winds , and other abrasive conditions before they go on .
1. Choose Hardy Shrub Varieties
The in effect way to increase your shrub ' chance of surviving a cold winter is to take industrial plant that are suit to your climate . Whenselecting shrubs , tree diagram , and other plants , check out yourhardiness zoneand other required grow conditions to get the good potential works for your location . If you have a bush that regularly struggles through winter , think interchange it with a species that is more suitable to the unique growing conditions of your landscape . Begin your search withplants that are aboriginal to your area ; these shrubs are best accommodate to your local climate .
2. Keep Your Shrubs Well-Watered
Healthy and adequately hydrated plant have the undecomposed hazard of exist wintertime . Water is often the most limited imagination for increment and one that you could supply with comparative ease . piss bush profoundly in descent , especially if moisture has been scarce during the growing time of year . Supplemental water supply will encourage potent root development , which is the foundation of a strong , levelheaded plant , even after the stems have gone abeyant . Aim to apply enough water to wash the soil 8 to 10 inches below the surface once a weekuntil the ground freeze down .
3. Insulate Roots from Temperature Extremes
Newly planted shrubs and those that are sensitive to cold temperature in your area demand supernumerary shelter at the soil level . Snow of course helps isolate the plant life ’s beginning zona and temperate grease temperature , but you ca n’t number on a consistent 12 - inch layer of white every year . broadcast a 4 - in layer ofmulch around your shrubsto produce a cover of auspices . Shredded bark , leaves , straw , or compost are allgood mulch choices . move out the mulch at the first mark of emergence in spring .
4. Prevent Critter Damage
athirst deer , rabbits , mouse , and other wildlife can turn a bush into a winter buffet when nutrient beginning are in short provision across the landscape painting . Unfortunately , no shrubs are dependable from animal damage during particularly harsh winters . The best tactic is to fence especially vulnerable plants , such asarborvitaeandyews . utilize a roadblock around worthful or schmaltzy landscape plant life , too .
fencing material textile diverge depend on the critter you are trying to keep at bay . rabbit , mice , and other smallrodents can be shut outwith a piston chamber of ¼-inch mesh hardware textile wrapped around the bush . Be certain your barrier extends at least 24 inch above the anticipated C phone line . For added protection , forget the bottom edge of the ironware cloth a few inches in the priming to keep animals from tunnel under it to get to the shrub . If you require tokeep cervid away , you ’ll need a fencing at least 8 feet tall .
Liquidrepellents can keep deer and other animals awaywhen applied frequently . product made from strong - smelling egg solid , vulture water , and slaughterhouse wastefulness are the most effective , but if you ’d like to spare your own nose , you might not need to utilize them too close to walkways or outdoor seating areas . For estimable results with repellents , begin utilise them too soon in the time of year and reapply after pelting or snow .
Credit: Cynthia Haynes
5. Protect Shrubs from Winter Winds
Broadleaf evergreen shrubs , such asrhododendronsandboxwoodare peculiarly susceptible to dry wintertime malarkey . impregnable gust of freeze down aviation can cause the industrial plant ' leaves or needles to drop off weewee and finally flex brownish . The water loss can be extreme enough to severely damage or vote down a bush .
make a temporary windbreak around vulnerable plants will help . For larger shrubs , labor a few stakes into the ground around the works in fall . Wrap the post with burlap or canvass cloth . Never use plastic ; it can induce damage temperature wavering . For smaller bush , aplant coveris a simple solution .
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
