Just because the chilly months are here doesn't mean your lawn has to be gray and dead. But there is a cure for those landscape winter blues. Plant some flowers that bloom in the winter. These plants flourish in cold weather. Flowers that Bloom in the Winter Calendulas Daisy-like calendulas deliver simple, vibrant colors in mild-winter climates. These flowers last quite some time in a pot. Choose yellow or orange, or pick softer shades of yellow, cream or apricot. The colors look perfect together in a vase. Calendula plants take a small amount of water and total sun. They tolerate any soil type as long as it has adequate drainage. Pansy These low-growing flowers with five petals are best sellers for a good reason. Pansies bloom for a long time through the wintertime. The huge-flowered bi-colored and solid varieties will most likely catch your attention in a flower shop the first time. English Primrose Most primroses flourish in summer or spring. Though some English primrose flowers are excellent choices for the wintertime. English primroses grow either in bunches or alone. These round flowers are available in practically every color, growing up to 12 inches high. Complete sunshine and regular watering help these flowers to flourish. Winter Jasmine Winter jasmines stand out fantastically in a winter outdoor space. Vibrant yellow flowers appear in winter before attractive glossy leaves develop. These flowers have no scent. A winter jasmine flower thrives in imperfect conditions, becoming a prolific bloomer in good soil and full sun. To control growth, pinch when necessary. Viola Similar to its cousin, the pansy, violas brighten dull days with a sweet fragrance and energetic colors. Violas make an excellent winter plant, available in cream, blue, white, yellow, and bi-colored. Use violas to create colorful winter flowerpots, covers for springtime bulbs, and mass coloring in edging and borders. Viola flowers take the complete sun. If the flowers begin to look raggedy, get rid of them. To prolong the blooms of violas, pick them. Are you interested in getting some mulch? Call Rochester Stump and speak with a stump grinding expert about what is available. Every so often, even after chopped down, stumps keep on sprouting. Also, though the tree is dead, the stump possibly is still active. As a result, you will keep on having sprouts until you know how to stop a tree stump from sprouting. A tree stump sitting in your outdoor space can become a home to invasive plant species, which causes ugly sprouts to appear. There is also the chance that the tree stump is still living and will keep growing. The roots could spread and destroy sidewalks, pipes, and other parts of your property. How to Stop a Tree Stump from Sprouting: Steps to Take If you see issues like this happening, there are some things you can do. You can place a stump killer on the tree. The herbicide spreads to the roots and stops them from flourishing. It would help if you did this immediately before or immediately after taking down the tree. There are some dangers involved when using herbicides. The main hazard is the possibility of harm to the other trees in your landscape. Therefore, be careful when using them. Also, you can take away the sprouts you see out with your hands. These techniques help to curb the issue. However, the problem won't go entirely away. If you desire more efficient measures, you can put chemicals more rooted into the stump, letting them kill it. This process might take a few applications. However, it is still the simplest way to stop the tree from growing. You could also hire a stump removal business to handle the task for you. Herbicide Risks There are dangers involved in the use of herbicides. So, make sure to read all the warnings and directions on the product you've picked. Also, you'll want to be sure to wear safety gear, including gloves, goggles, and long-sleeve shirts, when using these chemicals. Keep any deadly chemicals securely away from children and pets at all times. If you want to take a more hands-on approach to your tree stump removal task, rent a stump grinder. This process takes the right amount of work. You have to block out some time to get the job completed. Stump grinders are typically gas-powered and rented for 24 hours. You need safety gear for this project as well. Contact Rochester Stump if you want a professional to grind your stump for you. Live garlands, wreaths, and swags can be incredible holiday decorations, revitalizing a space with their crisp air and fresh evergreen boughs. But how can you keep evergreen decorations clean through Christmas without decaying, drooping, or wilting? Several things can help keep your live garlands, swags, fresh-cut decorations, and wreaths alive throughout the holidays so you can adore them longer than average. Luxurious and Lush Cut Greenery Fresh cut greens are lovely for the holidays, regardless if you prefer berry sprigs, cedar or pine decorations, aromatic herbs or other sorts of greenery to make garlands, wreaths, and swags. Purchase Fresh The fresher your greenery is when you buy it, the longer it will last. Learn where retailers get their fresh-cut greenery and how long it has been cut. If you can trim your foliage at a local tree care & stump removal business or from your landscape, your results can be even better because you know just how fresh the cuttings are. Soak to Save Give your fresh greenery a complete soaking to rehydrate the plants and stems before you fabricate decorative arrangements. Put the plants in clean, fresh, crisp, clean water and submerge them for at least a day to make sure they have taken in a reasonable amount of water. If total immersion isn’t possible, give all the cut ends an in-depth soaking. Misting a Must After you've set your fresh decorations, consistent misting every 24 – 48 hours will aid them in staying accurately hydrated so they will last a long time. If your house is arid, putting a humidifier close to the decorations will keep them saturated. If your arrays have faux accents or ribbons, remove them before misting to halt any running colors or other water damage that can ruin the look of your decorations. The more methods you use to retain your greenery, the longer they will survive during the holiday season, retaining its vibrancy and freshness. With the right care, these decorations can cheer up your house for weeks and might even last a couple of months, lengthening your holiday joy longer than you might have thought. 12/21/2019 Decorating with Evergreen BranchesHaving Christmas displays don’t mean you can hang them and leave them. Decorating with evergreen branches and keeping them fresh until Christmas Day is simple with the tips below. Decking the halls with evergreens during the holidays is a tradition around the globe. While many folks most likely have a tree decorated in sparkles and lights someplace in their home, your evergreen decor shouldn’t end there. There are numerous spaces where putting some winter greenery can truly help spice up your house for the holidays. Check out these tips for decorating with evergreens! Pick the right plant. The answer to keeping evergreens fresh is understanding your materials. Holly leaves, for instance, can discolor if uncovered to harsh temps. Evergreen shrubs and trees are usually durable enough to form into garlands, wreaths and other holiday decors without fretting about premature browning. Trim smart. Trim unhealthy limbs from an evergreen tree. You can also remove branches that will help shape the tree. If possible, trim from a tree that has just come into dormancy. Put the cut stem in water quickly to keep your holiday evergreens fresh. Decorate. When you drape, hang, and decorate living evergreens, the process is more complicated than just discovering an attractive arrangement. For cut greens to remain fresher longer, put them out of the sunlight and away from heat sources like fireplaces, vents, and candles. Stay hydrated. Just like holiday flowers and Christmas trees, cut greens require water to remain fresh. Spray evergreen decor with water every other day, so they stay healthy. There are many scents of the Christmas season, but one of the most well-known in the smell of spruce, pine, or whatever evergreen you prefer. It’s difficult to top the lush scent and look of a wreath, garland, or fresh tree. The fake stuff can be way more convenient. It’s turning out to be more common. You can still add some tiny pieces of fresh greenery in your decor, making it simpler to come by and more straightforward to replace each year. If you buy or chop down a real Christmas tree (make sure you call a stump grinding business to come to pick it up when you’re through), you have a few branches or sprigs leftover. If you are buying or reaping just the branches or sprigs, you want to put them to good use. 12/14/2019 Gardens Aren't Always Dormant in the WinterSnow falling softly over shrubs and trees, covering perennials and stopping fall season chores. The white blanket delicately lies over the garden, putting all to sleep. The garden appears so calm and quiet. Gardens are dormant in the winter, right? There is lots of winter garden activity, but not all is seen. Before the dirt freezes, plant roots are continuing to absorb nutrients and moisture from the soil. Warm winter days pull moisture from foliage and evergreen needles. Snow acts as a natural temperature moderator, stopping the ground from warming too fast and shielding plant roots from cold, bitter temperatures. Foliage Offer Refuge Shrub and perennial foliage provide a lot of refuge for small winter wildlife and birds. Also, last season’s plant seeds are a food buffet for hungry critters. The tender bark of young shrubs and trees is quite beautiful to animals seeking a snack. Safeguard your defenseless shrubs and trees by creating a barrier with metal mesh, chicken wire, or plastic tree protector. This will stop snow from mounding up around younger shrubs and trees as well as stop animals from using the snow as a ladder to get access to upper parts of your plants. On a side note, this is also why homeowners need to get stump removal service so animals will not have a stump to make a home. While you might have warmer temperatures during winter months, plants aren’t ready to begin growing. Swelling buds on shrubs and trees might look as if it’s spring. But, as long as the soil is still cool, growth is at a standstill. This safeguards plants from hard freezes that Rochester will probably experience in March and perhaps beyond. As you look out your window on those dreary, cold winter days, and desire warm spring weather, bear in mind, your garden is still working diligently. Dormancy is crucial for plants in the northern landscape since if they were actively growing in cold temps, their leaves and stems would freeze, killing or destroying them. They would fight to thrive in the reduced sunlight of shorter days. Their roots would know it’s practically impossible to get water from frozen soil. 12/7/2019 Choose a Live Christmas Tree This YearIf you desire a live Christmas tree this year, you will be happy to know there are plenty of choices. Here is a closer look as the most well-liked live Christmas trees so you can pick the right one for you. Douglas Fir The Advantages The sweet smell of this tree is one of the numerous reasons why it's such a well-liked Christmas tree. Additionally, the Douglas fir lives for four weeks, which is excellent if you like to keep your tree up past January 1st. Disadvantages The Douglas fir is a colossal tree. So, it wouldn't be appropriate for a small space in a home or a small apartment. Blue Spruce Advantages The silver-blue color of blue spruce makes it a favorite choice for numerous households around the holiday season. The limbs of this tree have a skyward tilt, allowing ornaments to hang easily. The branches give this tree its distinct appearance. Disadvantages One disadvantage of blue spruce is that the needles usually begin to fall off sooner than other tree types. Besides, this tree lives for just two weeks, and the needles have a nasty odor when crumpled. Fraser Fir Advantages A Fraser fir keeps its needles for an extended period when it's watered accurately and kept away from the heating vents. Be sure the family pet doesn't use your Fraser fir stand as a water bowl. The tree’s needles have a coating that lets them glow under your Christmas lights. A Fraser fir typically lasts for about 35 days, giving off a pleasant fragrance. This tree is slim, making it right for small spaces and small rooms. Disadvantages A Fraser fir is shorter and doesn't possess the fullness of a Douglas fir. Norway Spruce Advantages Want a medium-sized, cone-shaped Christmas tree? If so, take a look, at a Norway spruce. This tree has deep green needles and reveals a subtle scent. Disadvantages This tree drops its needles easy if it's shaken in its stand or someone brushes past it. Don't forget to recycle your tree or call a stump grinding company to come to get your tree. Your beautiful Christmas tree can be helpful to the environment after making your holiday celebration special. 11/30/2019 Can I Plant my New Shrub in the Winter?That warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you plant a shrub in the winter may have ready to put one in your landscape come December. However, just like there’s a correct way to plant trees, there’s a proper time to plant as well. In some instances, winter is right on time. Though other times, planting in winter will harm your tree over time. Here is some information on how to tell if it’s alright to plant in winter or if you should wait another season. What You Must Know About Planting Shrubs and Trees in the Winter Young plant roots need a well-watered, warm environment to establish themselves. This is why fresh new roots and frosty soil don’t mix. With frozen ground, tree roots don’t get the water they need to have a good start. If you live in an area with no freezing winters or your area is known for having warm winters, you may be able to plant in during the winter season. Trees You Can Plant in Winter The only trees you must not plant in the wintertime are evergreens. Unlike deciduous shrubs and trees, evergreens keep their foliage in the winter. It’s challenging for them to maintain their needles’ moisture levels and establish their roots with a reduced water supply in winter. Other tree types are typically fair game, but only if the dirt isn’t ice-covered and won’t freeze for at least four weeks after planting. That’s why if you reside in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, or any place the earth doesn’t freeze, winter planting isn’t just okay. It’s recommended. In these conditions, planting in winter gives new trees the phase they need to develop roots before dry, hot weather begins. If you’re looking for some advice, below is some information on the best time to plant shrubs according to where you live and what you’re planting. You can always check with your local Rochester tree care and stump removal business for planting suggestions too. Plant Shrubs or Trees the Right Way The key to a new tree successfully growing in the winter is to plant it when the earth is cool. Using a soil thermometer, put the thermometer into the soil for a couple of days. If the soil steadily measures above 50° F, it’s okay to plant your shrub or tree. But, if the ground is too cold, plant during the upcoming spring or fall season. 11/23/2019 How to Prune Holly BushesHolly bushes make a gorgeous winter plant, with tiny red berries delivering aesthetic appeal in a cold and bleak season. While holly makes a festive holiday decoration, gardeners must perform a more vital pruning of this bush than collecting greens for a table display. When you know how to prune holly bushes, you keep the plant healthy and cosmetically attractive. When to Prune A common question is when to trim a holly bush plant. Most folks can prune a holly bush when the plant is dormant in the wintertime. December is an excellent time for pruning holly bushes. Trimming holly bushes aids in giving them a neat appearance and keeping them in shape. However, not all types of holly bushes are pruned at the same time. It is vital to know when to prune the different varieties of holly bushes. Otherwise, you could unintentionally get pricked by holly leaves. Examine your holly bush for diseased, dead, or damaged limbs. Dead wood will be hollow to the touch. Damaged and diseased wood will have nicks and cuts as well as being physically marred with discolored timber. How to Prune Mix a solution of water and bleach in a bucket. Dip your pruning shears into the solution, then cut away the rotten wood. Cut off these branches at their intersection with the main branch or trunk. Use pruners for tiny cuts and lopping shears for thicker limbs that are difficult to cut with the small pruners. Clean your pruners between cuts. Throw away all dead and infected wood in a garbage bin, then sterilize all your gardening equipment and wipe them dry with a towel. Get rid of the bleach solution. It’s okay to perform a DIY holly bush trim job. However, if you need tree cutting or stump grinding service, you should call a professional stump service company. Thin out packed areas of the canopy to encourage air circulation, which keeps your holly healthy. Use pruners to take off weak limbs and branches that push up against other branches. Chop all the growth off at the base. Take off downward-growing or low-growing branches from the holly bush by cutting them off at the bottom. Don’t cut into the swollen tissue or the collar on the trunk that indicates the branch intersection with the trunk. Evergreen shrubs can be used as an anchor, screen, or focal point in a mixed border or landscape. Learning how to identify your evergreen shrub is the first step in making sure it’s the right one for the growing conditions. There are three fundamental kinds of evergreen shrub leaves: scale-like, awl-shaped, and needle-like. After you identify the right leaf-shape category of your evergreen shrub, you can narrow down the evergreen shrub types. Customary types of evergreen shrubs are yews, firs, junipers, Siberian cypress, hemlock, Douglas fir, spruce, false cypress, pine, and arborvitae. When distinguishing evergreen shrub leaves, you can match the leaves with pictures in tree care and stump removal guidebook. Decide the Right Leaf-Shape Step 1 Distinguish awl-shaped evergreen leaves by their thin, long formation. Scale- and needle-shaped leaves are more significant than awl-shaped leaves and reach outward from the center stems. Step 2 Search for evergreen shrub leaves with a host of needles that flourish uniformly from the center leaf stem. These are referred to as needle evergreen leaves. Step 3 Pinpoint the evergreen shrub leaves by its scales that develop away from the center leaf stem in uneven lengths. Scale-like evergreen leaves possess a coarse triangular shape. Classify the Evergreen Shrub Step 1 Feel the foliage to characterize the right type of evergreen with awl-like leaves. If the foliage is piercing to the touch, it’s a juniper. If the foliage is flexible and soft, it’s a Siberian cypress. Step 2 Examine the needles’ length, growth habit, and coloring to detect the needle-leaf evergreen shrub type. If the needles are entirely green, flat, and ¾- to 1-inch long, the shrub is a yew. If the needle possesses two white bands down the length of its bottom, is around ½-inch and is united to the branch by a tiny stem, it's hemlock. Pinpoint pines by needles that grow in bundles of two, three, or five and spruces based on their square needles. Step 3 Look at the specific shape and size of scale-like leaves to identify the evergreen shrub type. Arborvitae shrubs have flat fan-shaped and tiny leaves that grow to only 1/16 to 1/8 inch in size. Imitation cypress types have less flat and bigger scale-like leaves. If you need help identifying trees and shrubs in your landscaping or need stump services, contact a local professional stump removal service today! Is that pretty little holly next to the front door now threatening to grab your arm as you walk by? This is the best time to transplant trees and shrubs in the winter from one part of your landscape to the other. Transplanting Trees and Shrubs Transplanting shrubs and trees can be an overwhelming task. You might be frightened that you could kill your plant in the process. Here’s what you need to know: the plant isn’t doing you any good in its present location. Otherwise, you probably would not be thinking about moving it. You aim to have it gone. Though, if you’re going to get rid of it, you may as well use it somewhere else. If it lives, consider it a blessing. Let’s come up with some ideas to make your transplant a success. Here are some tips:
The objective is to keep as much of the soil intact with the roots as you can. Have a piece of plastic, burlap, or tarp ready to put the root ball in. Try to raise the plant out of the ground from the underside instead of pulling by the branches. Have the new hole already dug so that you can put your tree or bush in it quickly. You should dig a hole at least twice the size of the rootball and around the same depth. When you are replanting, tamp the soil around the rootball as you go along, so you don’t have pockets of air and pockets of water. If you dig and discover that the tree is dead, call a tree and stump removal company to get rid of it correctly. |
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December 2020
CategoriesAll Insects & Diseases Questions & Answers Tools & Safety Trees & Landscaping Tree Stump Basics |