We have been making our way around the nursery and getting things all ready for the winter to come. Are your gardens ready? Taking good care of your plants over the winter is something you should be thinking about. Remember to make sure that the plants you purchased this year are well-hydrated. With the warm weather we have had lately, the plants are still growing! We also have some items such as deer repellent and trunk guards to help with critter protection. If you have any questions about what to do for specific plants, please give us a call or drop us an email.

Happy Holidays,

 

Our climate zone often requires that we take extra measures to protect our plants over the harsh winter. Last year's winter should be a reminder that we cannot be lax about this! Selecting plants that are hardy to our area is the first step, along with making sure that the plant goes into winter with enough moisture to fend off the drying winter winds. Keep watering those new plants until the ground freezes! 

 

Here at the nursery, we have polyhouses to protect the tenderest of our plants, but out in your landscape you may need to use other means to protect your investment from the elements. Correct siting, windbreaks, and temporary protective barriers such as burlap screens, hinged wooden covers, and newer products such as Shrub Coat will help. Certain plants may benefit from the spray application of antidessicants, but never use them on Chamaecyparis (Hinoki or other false cypresses) or Thuja (arborvitae) since the waxy coating prevents transpiration in these plants.

 

 

Paper or plastic tree wraps are helpful in preventing sunscald on thin-barked plants such as Japanese maples. They are also useful in reducing damage to susceptible young tree trunks from deer, rabbits, moles, and other animals. Liberal use of fencing or sprays or granular applications of critter repellents like Plantskydd in later winter months can also help remove your plants from their dinner menu.

We want your plants to survive and provide a great deal of joy and beauty for you for many years to come so if you have any questions on how to protect specific plants, please give us a call.

Remember this scene from the nursery this fall? Amazing colors!



Planting anything around here now is fairly risky without adequate protection. In addition, we have suspended shipping for the winter. But what if you had a plant or two in mind that you were hoping to get your hands on? If you have a particular variety in mind and we don't currently have it in stock, let us know (use the contact form on the website, try calling the nursery at 585.586.3850, or email us at sales@orientalgardensupply.com). Al will keep an eye out while perusing his catalogs or on his buying trip to the Northwest in mid-winter.