A few steps to properly accommodate the cold season

The cold season moved slowly, but surely, even some areas in the North have received their first fall of snow. Certainly there are still beautiful days for gardening, otherwise, well, it is emmitouflera to do the last few tasks.

The fall, after the fall of the leaves, is a good time for the size of the trees and shrubs, because we can see the antlers and work are facilitated. Here is some essential information to avoid making any big mistakes… First, what should not do, and why.
Kidnap never more than 20-30% of the antlers of a tree by year, were it not clipping and one size not in ball, because these interventions favour the formation of many gourmets who are unwanted, tender stems. They make the tree more vulnerable to insects and diseases, kidnap him its natural form and in addition, decrease its lifetime.
In fact, the size of a tree or a shrub maintenance is limited to remove broken, dead or damaged branches that are rubbing each other or who grow inwards, as well as to eliminate the greedy and releases. Although the old shrubs, you can practise a size of rejuvenation. Eliminated one-third of the oldest stems at the base each year, either remove the upper third of the plant to reduce its size and selecting primary and secondary branches, or even it coppices plant, which means cutting all the branches to about 15 cm from the ground.On the other hand, it will skip a year of flowering if one practices the last two methods on shrubs that bloom in the spring.
All shrubs cannot be cut, only the following: dogwood to the colorful branches (Cornus alba and Cornus sericea), the tree (Cotinus coggygria), tree Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), Woody potentially (Potentilla fruticosa), mockoranges (Philadelphus spp.), physocarpes opulus (Physocarpus opulifolius) leaves, Alpine currant (Ribes alpinum), willows (Salix SSP.), the spirea (spiraea japonica) Japansome lilac (Syringa vulgaris) and s. xhyacinthiflora and the elderberries (Sambucus SSP..).
Ratooning can be done in the fall or in the spring before bud break of buds. In the fall, if the shrub is Frost, the risk of Frost is highest. Source: Book horticultural and botanical of the Montréal Botanical Garden.
Note that the size of fruit trees is practiced from February until the opening of the buttons. Des rosiers, non-such as hybrids of tea, the grandiflora, the floribunda and most rustic of polyantha, will have to be cut approximately in half their height to be protected. Non-Hardy climbing Roses will be detached from their support and protected. Maintenance perennials

Perennials that decorate the garden the winter will be cut only next spring. Others are cut into small pieces that are left on-site, or don’t-touch anything this fall and intervening if necessary next spring.
On the other hand, if we are not comfortable with a certain complacency, it adopts an approach mixes between the autocompostage (on-site) and well parish priest garden. The important is to leave Green Garden material so that it degrades, it fine soil and feeds microorganisms. However, it is preferable to eliminate the foliage of disease-prone to reduce outbreaks of infestation. Winter protection

Winter protections are used to protect plants from cold, wind, freezing rain or heavy snow from the snow removal process. But most of them are unsightly and require investment and time to put them in place, so, before installing, need to wonder about their indispensability. My plants are already well protected from the wind? I have a good snow cover that isolates them? I couldn’t send my snow elsewhere? Etc. This to avoid to deploy the arsenal of protection against the winter.
All in all, sometimes there is no choice. In this case, one must know that it is better to install the as late as possible winter protections, because if there is a thaw, there is danger of overheating and moulds under protections. Then, when install them? Placed when the ground is frozen. Thus, the risks are almost zero.
Some plants lower the limit of their hardiness, but for which it does not protection, can promote the accumulation of snow covering branches; those of pine are ideal, but you take what you have on hand. The leaves can also be used, but beware, they tend to be compact and will need to be removed quickly in the spring. If you have perennial plants in pots, it buries them in the ground for the winter so that their roots do not freeze.

** Any questions on your garden? Feel free to contact me at lgobeille@ledevoir.com.

***
Flowers for a good cause

For its fundraising campaign, the Huntington of Quebec society sells a complete package for the cultivation of amaryllis. This large bulb produced easily in the House of the huge and spectacular flowers. Huntington’s disease is a fatal hereditary disease and dementia affecting the people between 30 and 40 years. To support this cause, one obtains the kit for $ 13 from 5 November to the Huntington society, 2300, boulevard Rene-Levesque West, or by phone at 514-282-4272. Are delivered for free even if you buy only one kit. Library

My blankie Patricia Grolier Edition mail of the 2012 book plants, 135 pages the idea is good: a book on soft plants aimed at parents of young children. Various activities are offered to discover these plants that we are starting to rub on our cheek or touch passing. First, is the comforting “doudou” object to pass then herbal soft toys, and then to the creation of a garden of plants that it first was calm… There is then a list of hairy plants and it explains what a herbarium. In the Garden this week

But no, it’s not too late to plant bulbs, we can do until the ground freezes over! Some will naturalize, such as daffodils «Barnett Browning» and «Carlton», as well as the botanical tulips. No need to replant every year, and don’t forget the small bulbs for the lawn, such as the Scilla, the Muscari and Crocuses. The tender bark of young trees, especially fruit trees, is appreciated by small rodents hungry during the winter. It is recommended therefore to wrap around the base of the trunk of a spiral of plastic, metal mesh or other to protect them against damage that may be fatal. These are the materials that are used to protect plants: styrofoam cone, surely the most classic, the geotextile for large surfaces and plants of large formats, and for a large number of non-Hardy roses, the canvas of polyurethane foam. In addition, the bondage of shrubs with rope gives good resistance to the weight of the snow. As for the closing to… snow, used as reinforcement should accumulate snow on plants and also to delimit the snow-clearing operations, but used as little as possible, as it is not discrete.