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Home & Garden Editor

Pamela Lang

985-2131 (125)
LESS ERED AE BUA LEN VT EE

Roy
Jonsson

: ‘WINTER 'DOESN’T official-
-ly begin until next week but
here are some winter garden
. Chores that youcan |
' attend to any time dur-
- fing December.
“i Give your lawn a final rak-
: ing and compost the leaves. °.
- Remember not to walk on the -
».,lawn when the grass is frozen.
. :) Extra leaves can be raked on to the
garden beds to act as a mulch.
wf) 2 In the natural world the soil is:
‘}never exposed to the elements tor
very long.'A leaf cover encourages
“earth worms and microbes to come
“<,.to the surface and break down the
‘organic material in preparation for
“next spring's growth.
..;~ Perennials that remain green
throughout the winter should not be

buried with leaves but they do bene-..
fit from having their root structure : -

‘:and the surrounding soil covered

eas mam

rn re : " ; ee
@ Silver Spechutations..36 75

with mulch.

Even a thin layer of leaves will
reduce the depth that frost will pene-
trate into the shallow root areas.
However, avoid mulches around any
of the sedian or sempervivunt vari-
eties because constant dampness
may cause rot.

Applying lime to the lawn can be
done now or at any time until the
late spring. Coarse dolomite lime

- takes several months to break down

and begin neutralizing the acidic

soil.

A more neutral soil (6.5 pH) will
keep the grass roots healthy through-
out the winter.

Now that we have had some
tecord rainfalls, check the garden to
see that drainage is not a problem. A
plugged down-spout or drain line
can often overflow into a garden
area. ;

Most plants cannot tolerate wet
feet and will die if they are sitting in

poorly drained soil.

One place where water is not a
prablem but plants can be is in an
ornamental pool. Dead or decaying
leaves not only look unattractive, but
also sink to the bottom and decay.

_ With little oxygen in the water,
the mass of humus becomes anaero-
bic and produces hydrogen sulphide
and other. unpleasant gasses.

This does not create the ideal

-conditions for establishing an equi-

librium in the pool between fish,

ied
REN

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plants, nutrients and oxygen. Cut off
and remove the lily pad leaves and
stems and other dying vegetation
where possible.

There is still time to plant bulbs
if you haven't yet had the chance.
Forgotten bulbs don’t survive well if
they are out of the ground for more
than six to cight months.

Cover your bulb bed with plastic
one week prior to planting. This will
give the soil a chance to drein and
make planting easier.

Pull up the last of your annuals
and cut down any perennials that are
dying back. Most dead annuals and
perenniats don’t make good mulch
material on their own. Day lilies and
hosta are two of the exceptions and
the leaves can be folded over the

Friday, Dacémber 16, 1994 - North Shore News - 17

crown of the plant for winter protec-.”

tion.

While you are cleaning up your
beds, try to do as much weeding as
possible. 1 am always surprised to

find chickweed and snapweed con-:

. Gnuing to grow during the winter.

If they are maturing in ;
December, you can be sure they will
flower and go to sced in late
February or early March, creating 9’.
whole new crop of weeds.

Fruit trees will benefit from a

/

aaa

. NEWS photo Terry Petors

POND CLEAN-UP is an important part. of yard care for winter. -

See Weather page 20’. When vegetation dies, it should be cut away so It will not sink.”

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