Much is being written and spoken about “leaving the leaves” to provide critical overwintering sites for pollinators in garden beds. We’re in favor of this, but with some caveats. Leaves blanketing driveways, walkways, and lawns DO need to be cleaned up, and the sooner the better. Plan to make use of these leaves elsewhere on site…
As trees drop their leaves and nights grow cooler, what we call “dormant pruning season” begins. It’s so much easier to see the structure of a woody plant without leaves. As long as temperatures are above 20 degrees, we can prune fruit trees and any ornamental species now through April. Below that temperature point, branches are brittle and may…
Snow is a great insulator, and for the short term will provide the needed protection of David Austin and hybrid tea roses. We plan to get out to make cones of compost around the root zones of these plants as usual, once we can determine that the ground is frozen, even if there is a…