Lurvey Seasonal Solutions

Gourds

November 10, 2011   

IN THIS ISSUE
Tool cleaning time
Featured Plant
Tree wrapping
Chores after frost
Watering correction
Tool cleaning time

Ok, after all is done and the garden and lawn have been put to bed, there's no escaping a final chore that should be done every season: cleaning the tools! Your Seasonal Solutions advisor hates this task, and therefore sets a deadline of Thanksgiving, by which all tools must be cleaned and stored carefully for the winter. 

 

ToolsHere are some tips to get the job done right:

 

Use steel wool to remove caked on dirt and rust that has accumulated on tools, especially around the blades.

 

If heavily caked with dirt, tools can also be rinsed and dried thoroughly.   

 

Use rubbing alcohol to disinfect pruners, clippers, shovels and any other tools that have touched plants or soil. This is an important step to prevent the spread of any disease to next season.

 

Finally, use a light spray of oil to lubricate tools for the winter.

 

This regimen should include all tools, including the blades of the lawn mower, which should be removed over winter and set out for sharpening before the next season begins. Then ask yourself: what other tools need sharpening before they are used again?

 

In our next issue
Winter interest in the garden

Holiday decorating 

 

Feeding the birds in winter

 

Contact us
Lurvey Landscape Supply & Garden Center

 

2550 E Dempster St.
Des Plaines, IL
847-824-7411

   

Featured plant: Red Twig Dogwood
Red Twig Dogwood
Red Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea 'Alleman's Compact'

of this shrub are our pick this month for their stunning beauty in the winter months. Red Twig Dogwood is so named because its stems are red all winter long. It's a show-stopper when used in a border or clump, especially when snow is on the ground. Many people also grow this shrub for a constant supply of cut twigs for Holiday decorating.  

 

Red Twig Dogwood grows fast in all soil types. It tolerates some shade and does very well even in wet soils. In fact, it's often used in damp or low areas to help absorb moisture. It has white flowers in late spring.

 

Red Twig Dogwood comes in many varieties, which grow from 4 to 12 feet tall. Next spring we will have all sizes, including Bailey, Flaviramea, and Cardinal, all of which grow to 8 or 10 feet tall and spread to 10 feet wide when mature. Smaller varieties, growing to 4 or 5 feet, include Alleman's Compact, Isanti, and Arctic Fire. We also carry variegated leaf varieties such as Ivory Halo.

 
For now, we have cut branches for your Holiday decorating. Check them out! You'll see why it's a great shrub to plant next season. 
Wrap it up, please!

Tree WrapPretty soon it'll be time to wrap Christmas gifts, but first it's time to wrap the trees!

 

Why wrap trees? To protect them from winter feeding by deer, rabbits and other animals and to prevent two winter problems caused by the weather:  winter frostbite of young tree bark or "sunscald" -- the tendency of bark to split because of the heat of the sun on exposed sides of trees on cold winter days. These problems are most damaging to young trees.

 

Here's how to complete the package: Use commercial tree wrap made of corrugated paper or other composition materials, not burlap or black plastic. Begin at the bottom of the trunk close to the ground. Wrap upward around the trunk, overlapping each wrap with the previous one. Continue up to the first set of crown branches. (You can cover small branches on the trunk of the tree as you go, without cutting them off.)  Secure ends of the tree wrap with tape, not wire, rope or twist ties.


Remove the tree wrap as early as the ground begins to warm in the spring. This eliminates the potential for trapped moisture that may attract mold or provide a breeding ground for insects.
  
Nighty-night

These chores can be classified as putting tender plants to bed after hard frost has rendered everything dormant.

 

Dig tender bulbs such as Canna, Dahlias, Elephant Ears, and Gladiolus and store for winter. Shake off excess dirt and cut off stems. Rinse if necessary to remove soil. Layer with peat moss, sawdust, shredded newspaper or sand in ventilated containers These tubers and bulbs can be stored in your crawl space or anywhere else where the temperature is 40 to 45 degrees all winter.

 

Any type of plant that needs serious winter protection should be tucked up using straw (from your fall decorating!) around the base. Then wrap burlap around the straw, pinning or staking it in place. Note that this technique uses materials that will dry out after periods of rain or snow - no plastic! This prevents root rot and fungal infestation over the winter months. Any plant that is classified for Zone 5B and some classified for Zone 6 could survive in the garden successfully if winterized in this way.

 

Cover perennials with evergreen branches that you have left over from decorating. This makes the garden more attractive in winter and protects perennials from harsh weather at the same time.

Watering alert and other fall chores

A kind reader brought to our attention an error in our fall watering instructions in the last issue. 

 

Here is the correct information: Trees and shrubs should get about an inch of water (including rain) once a week right up to frost. Just before the ground freezes, water all evergreens thoroughly with about 3 inches of water.

 

Here's a complete list of other fall clean-up chores, for your reference.