Category: Winter

Posted on

Winter Care for Encore Azaleas

TheGardenLady received a comment on her post Summer Care for Encore Azaleas from Mr. Gulius.

What should I do to my Encore Azaleas during winter month?

TheGardenLady sent this question o the people at Encore Azalea, and this is their answer:

As your Encores mature and get more established in their environment, they will be better able to withstand cold temperatures. Young plants are more susceptible to sudden, drastic drops in temperatures, and sustained cold weather (25 degrees or below).

Cold Protection
Mulch well (about 4 inches deep) in the fall. Reduce water for a
month or so before the first frost. Then, after a couple of hard
freezes, water well to provide moisture. This will help the plants to go dormant, or “harden off”.

As you would with any outdoor ornamental plants, Encore Azaleas may need some extra protection during sudden freezes and extremely cold weather. Sudden, drastic drops in temperature are more damaging than a gradual decline, especially to newly planted shrubs.

Burlap, old blankets, or sheets (any cloth material) can be used to cover upper plants. It is recommended that you drive stakes in the ground around your Encore and drape the cloth cover over stakes. Foliage in contact with the cover can be injured, so try to minimize cover contact with plant.

Posted on

Outdoor Gardening Things To Do In The Winter

 

It is January and though it is winter for many of us there are still a few outdoor gardening things we can do.

If your ground is not frozen, you can still take soil tests  – take separate tests for lawns, vegetable and flower gardens or shrub borders. You can get your soil test from your local extension office.

And if you soil is not frozen you can apply lime as needed – your soil test results will tell you if you need lime (do not apply lime if your ground is frozen).

You should still be adding organics (your garbage) to your compost pile or bin see TheGardenLady10/24.

Whatever time of year, all year round, you can always prune Dead Wood on trees, shrubs and vines. Be sure the wood is dead when you are pruning in the winter and not just dormant.

But if the ground is frozen or there is lots of snow, this is the best time to be snuggled indoors reading all those gardening books you received this holiday season or borrowed from your local library. And now instead of fattening sugar plums dancing in your head, you can plan and have dreams of your garden in 2008.

Continue reading “Outdoor Gardening Things To Do In The Winter”