Winterizing at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Learn the tricks of the trade as the staff at Coastal Maine Botanical Garden prepares for a long winter.

wintertime is an extremely elusive sentence for gardener . It ’s elusive to figure out how to help your plant get through the long , cold month , especially in the coarse northern climate . In our article“Shelter flora From Winter ’s Worst,”author Steve Silk grant some with child Spanish pointer as to how safe aid your plants last through the wintertime .

When it comes to hydrangeas , I ’m certifiably loony . Or , at least , I used to be . The source of my compulsion was a motley hydrangea . I corrupt it in full flower , and the azure , lacecap bloom of youth were simply stunning against the background of unsubtle , spade - form leaves butt on with creamy livid . Then wintertime strike and it died to the ground . New shoots break open forth in bounce , beautify with voluptuous leaf , but no blooming appeared . Ditto the next spring . And the next . Apparently the industrial plant was etymon - Thomas Hardy here , but its stems and flower buds — which form on year - one-time growth — were not . In my USDA Hardiness Zone 6 Connecticut garden , Old Man Winter prevail .

But it got me thinking that if I kept my variegated hydrangea ( Hydrangea macrophylla ‘ Tricolor ’ ) warmer , its stalk and bud might survive . So I decided to cover the works in winter . I bought one of those homely - search Styrofoam cone shape sell to protect tea rose wine in winter , cap the hydrangea , and cover that with a bed of chopped leaf mulch and pine boughs . Then I waited until the next summer when — lo and behold — the hydrangea blossom . say more .

Winterizing at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

1 . When planting ail in the descent , verify to put about 6 - 8 in of straw on top of your plants . When coke arrive , cover the field with C. P. Snow . This will guarantee that your garlic plants are well insulated throughout the wintertime . Additionally , having this insulation will ensure that the ail will not begin to grow untimely if there is a strong day in February or March .

2 . To protect apple tree , or other fruit trees with tenuous barque : expend a roll of paper tape , which will act like an extra bed of bark and provide extra protection . Roll the composition around the trunk of the tree .

3 . For frost - proof containers : make out some plywood to the sizing and shape of your container . Place the plyboard on top of your container . This allows you to leave your potting soil in the pot , which means you do not have to waste any potting territory . It can be reprocess for the next season . get over your container with plywood also means that ice will not form inside of your container , so you may avoid getting cracks in it !

4 . To protect palm trees : surround the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree with fencing , creating a circular cage around the palm Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . If you ’ve got some extra ornamental forage , put those in the coop as well to act as a protective mantle for your medal .

5 . Remember that unseasoned perennial need extra care in their first class . verify to give them an excess mantle of mulch or other insulation to verify that they can grow to their full potency in years to come !

To learn more about the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens , visit their website .

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