January 2024

Evergreens in Winter, Rain and Snow!

With the changing and extreme weather patterns we are getting, it may be comforting to review a few things, and consider how the plant may feel.

Evergreens like  boxwoods, yews, laurels, hollies, camellias, magnolias, arborvitae, spruce and cryptomeria need to eat and drink during the winter. They are working hard to stay green all year.

If the winter weather gets windy and dry,  try to water with a slow drip on the hose on a warmer day above 32 degrees.  It’s best to water in the late morning after your hose has thawed.

Winter feeding of evergreens is good. Use a slow release fertilizer with micronutrients (14-14-14).  Follow directions.  Put the fertilizer right around the root area, also known as the ‘drip line’ . Don’t burn the roots by over feeding.

Rain

In the last 45 days, our gardens have gotten 13 inches of rain .  If you have a plant sitting in water for more than a couple days and does not drain off, you may want move it.

When water stays around the plant, it does not allow the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen. It’s like you standing up to your knees for days  in a cold puddle, not being able to breathe.  Your legs (roots) would have a hard time too!

Really dry to really wet is particularly difficult for plants because plants close up the ‘pores’ in their roots to conserve water, when dry.  Pores have to quickly open to accept the water with sudden rain.

If the soil has washed away from the root system, try to put more soil around it on top of exposed roots.  Do this dirt work for shrubs and perennials too, if you can.

Snow

Snow, for watering, is better than rain, because it decreases speedy run off and won’t wash dirt away from the root area as readily as a hard rain. It’s ‘slow melt’ allows soil to actually absorb water more easily.

With a lot of snow, plants will splay or look really bent by the extra  weight. Maybe you are like me and start to worry! Carefully sweep the branches with your hands or a  broom to help the branches to lift.  It’s ok if some weight remains. Plants should spring back. Try to  sweep lightly  while it is snowing before it freezes. With freezing rain or snow, there is not much you can do without really breaking branches. If that does happen, pull out your sharp pruners or loppers and cut the branch off at the break. More pruning can be done in the spring.

So gather together your bag of fertilizer and topsoil, light weight broom, pruners, and muk luks. As you stomp through the weather,  picture your plants cheering you on, and whispering, “Thanks”.

Christie lives in Manakin Sabot , Virginia where she manages a 3 acre garden. Her blogs are written from her 35 years as a personal and professional gardener.