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Join the “greening” trend this season by
“giving green” for the holidays. In the literal sense, there are
those beautiful floral traditions of the season with potted
poinsettias, amaryllis, Christmas cacti, Jerusalem cherries,
Kalanchoes and more. In the trendier context, green giving means
gift certificates and gift memberships to environmentally
correct causes. Locally, there are the county horticultural
facilities such as Boerner Botanical Gardens, Wehr Nature Center
and the Domes. The Retzer Nature Center in Waukesha, Schlitz
Audubon Center, the Urban Ecology Center, River Edge, Havenwoods
State Forest all have Friends groups helping to fund support of
their missions. Thinking nationally and globally provides a
multitude of opportunities to support programs that are making a
difference on environmental issues all over the world.
In your own backyard, wish for a white winter. Whether you like
snow or not, our garden plants generally do. What we hope for is
a gradual cool down until the soil freezes and plants become
dormant. Then we want a blanket of several inches of snow that
sticks around until spring thaw. Our plants’ worst winter
nightmare is of a warm November suddenly plummeting to
temperatures in the single digits with no snow cover and
fluctuating temperatures all winter long.
If you find the time this holiday season, there still are a few
tasks to take on in the yard. Indoors use fresh and live holiday
decorations liberally. Be sure to recycle trees and wreaths when
it is all over. They can be chipped for mulch or used either
whole for bird feeding stations or with branches stripped and
used to blanket tender perennials and new transplants.
Garden calendar entries followed by a number in parenthesis,
have corresponding UW-Extension InfoSource messages that will
provide further details on that subject. View or download and
print these messages from the website http://infosource.uwex.edu
.
The UW-Extension Publications website has been revised. The new
address is http://learningstore.uwex.edu.
To dress up empty planters, branches may be
pruned sparingly from evergreens and deciduous shrubs with
colorful or interesting bark. As a general rule, pruning is best
done at the end of the dormant season in late February and
March.
Needle-type evergreen boughs may be used to shield broadleaf
evergreens like rhododendrons and boxwoods from sun and wind.
Stick the stem ends into the ground to surround and protect
small plants without looking too unnatural. Or use burlap and
stakes to loosely surround but not completely cover them
especially on the windward side.
Evergreens growing close to roads where fast moving traffic
produces a salty spray over the winter should also be protected.
Remove tall grass and weeds from the bases of trees, too.
Protect trunks of young trees by wrapping. Spiral plastic trunk
barriers or hardware cloth close to the trunk are the best
options. Surround multi-stemmed and low branching trees and
shrubs with chicken wire or hardware cloth held securely against
the ground. It should be tall enough to protect branches as high
up as a rabbit can reach when on its hind legs on top of a snow
bank.
Combine several tactics to scare away animals that can damage
your plants in the winter. Shiny, noisy, moving objects hung in
the garden along with bags of human hair or soap can be used in
addition to commercial repellents or ones prepared at home.
Remember to reapply these substances often since most of them
lose their potency quickly.
Check your yard, garage or tool shed for garden products and
equipment that should be stored indoors for the winter. Liquids
should not be allowed to freeze. Pesticides should be stored
locked, out of the reach of children, and in their original
containers. Plastic sprayers and rubber and vinyl hoses should
be stored empty, preferably indoors.
Winterize your lawn mower by running the engine dry, draining
and replacing the oil, cleaning the air filter, oiling the plug,
and wiping clean the engine. Now is a great time to take it in
for a tune-up and blade sharpening so it’s ready as soon as that
first surge of growth comes in the spring.
Clean garden tools with a wire brush and apply a light coat of
oil to protect them from rusting. Sharpen edges of hoes and
spades. Clean, readjust and sharpen the blades of pruning tools.
Lightly sand and then coat handles with linseed oil.
If the ground is finally frozen an inch or
so deep, it is now safe to apply winter mulches to newly
transplanted or tender perennial flowers, roses and
strawberries. This will insulate them from the cold above ground
and help reduce the fluctuations of temperatures in the soil
throughout the season, which can heave their root balls right
out of the ground.
Surround rose bushes with chicken wire cages and fill with up to
two feet of chopped, dry leaves or straw to protect them for the
winter. Cover the base of the stems with several inches of soil
or compost first and then place the chicken wire on top of the
mound after it has frozen. Tie canes together with cloth strips
or nylons to keep them from rubbing when they are blown by the
wind. Do not cut them at this time. Wait until next spring when
you will know how much was killed and therefore how much to
prune out.
Mulch strawberries with straw, leaves, or evergreen boughs.
Mulch needs to be 6 inches deep after it has packed down.
Branches cut from a discarded Christmas tree are perfect either
as the mulch or to prevent straw or leaves from blowing away.
Pile soil or compost over the crowns of garden chrysanthemums
that are in very exposed sites for the winter. Then add inches
of mulch on top. Whether covering mums or not, do not cut off
dead stems until next spring.
A thick layer of straw over root crops like potatoes, parsnips,
and carrots as well as parsley and leeks will protect them long
enough to harvest them a little at a time well into the winter.
Cyclamen, Christmas cactus and azaleas are
good choices for people who keep their houses cool. Also look
for Jerusalem cherry, ornamental peppers, and kalanchoes. Be
sure to cover them when transporting even a short distance -
most are very sensitive to temperatures below 50 - 55 degrees.
Floral arrangements should be kept cool and out of the sun.
Contrary to common belief, arrangements and cut flowers should
be watered with very warm water which contains floral
preservative. Re-cut flower stem ends first and then condition
them in a very cool spot for several hours before bringing them
into warmer rooms. Every couple of days, re-cut the stem ends,
wash the vase with soap, and refill with warm floral
preservative water. Substitute non-diet lemon lime soda or
vinegar and a drop of bleach if you don’t have preservative on
hand (not an aspirin, a penny or a nail as is sometimes
recommended. These don’t work.)
Check stored vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes, onions and
garlic and non-hardy bulbs like canna, tuberous begonia, dahlia,
and gladiolus for mildew and rot. Remove affected items
immediately.
Geraniums stored dry in the basement or attic for the winter
should be checked and the root systems moistened. Do this
monthly all winter.
Avoid rock salt, which is sodium chloride, to melt sidewalk and
driveway ice. Products made of calcium chloride or potassium
chloride cause less damage to plants. For traction, sprinkle
sand, kitty litter, or wood ashes. Mix with a little melting
compound if more than just traction is needed. Minimize de-icing
and traction products to reduce pollution in storm sewers and
streams.
Watch your new holiday gift plants closely.
Most of them need bright but indirect light and moderate
temperatures. Keep them out of drafts as well as away from the
hot air from heat vents, fireplaces, and TV's. Keep the soil
just slightly moist and do not allow them to stand in runoff
water.
Adjust your indoor plant watering practices as needed according
to the weather conditions. Plants use less water on cloudy days
and during the short days of mid-winter. December 21st is the
shortest day of the year. Cool conditions indoors may also mean
less water is needed.
Groom indoor plants to clean leaves, remove fallen leaves and
faded flowers. Cleaning removes dust, spray materials, and
grease that can clog leaf pores. Hand dust large-leaved plants
with a pair of old socks or gloves on both hands. Put a group of
plants in the shower if hand washing is not possible. To keep
soil from washing away cover it with foil, newspaper or plastic.
