Mulching
Be sure plants are completely dormant and the soil frozen to a depth of at least 2″ inches before applying mulches.
Wind and sun do more harm than cold. Screen your evergreens wherever practical, especially your flowering kinds:
- Camellia
- Azalea
- Rhododendron
Remember also that good drainage in the soil is the most essential item for survival.
Anti-transpirants like Wilt-Pruf, when sprayed on evergreens in the fall, are reported to give good winter protection by preventing excess loss of water through the foliage.
Cold Frames
Check the plants you are wintering over in the cold frame. Don’t let plants stew in steamy heat from the midday sun. Raise the glass if necessary. By the same token, cover the glass with an old rug when bitter night temperatures threaten.
Summer Bulbs
Remove old stalks, roots, and husks from gladiolus corms and dust
with a labeled insecticide-fungicide mixture as a preventative
against rot and thrips. Clean and store all other summer bulbs. Keep dahlia tubers cool and store in barely moist peat moss or vermiculite.
Lawns
Avoid walking on your lawn when the grass is frozen or even stiff with heavy frost. Have lawn and garden soil tested for pH value. If lime is needed apply now.
House Plants
Draw curtains or shades between glass and plants on the window sill on cold nights or move plants to a warmer spot.
House plants suffer from a lack of humidity. Spray leaves occasionally and set a small bowl filled with water among your pots.
Water your Christmas cactus sparingly and give it some morning or evening sunlight when it buds.
Evergreen Branches
Evergreen branches pruned judiciously from the garden now are excellent for house decorations and will give you a head start on the spring pruning. I do all of my pruning on evergreens at this time, and when the holidays are over, I use the discarded branches to cover the strawberry plants.