Drought conditions have prevailed in our region since August, and weather forecasters say to expect that to continue for the foreseeable future. As conditions persist, it's key to know how to care for plants before they overwinter.
The obvious thought might be to water your plants and trees, but for some gardeners, that task depends on their water source and if their town is under a water conservation notice. And if you use well water, you'll likely have to decide how much water you have at your disposal, and then which plants, trees and shrubs get priority.
Established plants and trees should fare just fine, but young and newly transplanted perennials, trees and shrubs will need to be well watered before winter.
If you planted a bunch of things in your landscape earlier in the season, plan to keep watering them right into the winter. Trees, especially, will take a couple of years to really get established.
Knowing how to water is key, too. Plan to water two or three times a week, and do so deeply and infrequently. Then, in mid to late fall, water just twice a week. Water more on sandy soils; less on clay.
Deeply water your perennials and ensure it reaches the roots, about 4 to 6 inches into the ground, and even deeper — down 8 inches to a foot — for trees and shrubs.
Try the task with a watering wand, and keep it right above the soil line. Essentially, you're not "sprinkling from a distance," or doing any overhead watering. Instead, you're really concentrating the water right around where the root system is.
Another method is to use Treegator bags. Those are vertical bags that wrap around a tree's trunk and can hold 15 to 20 gallons of water.
Fill those a couple times a week and they'll continue to emit water into the soil slowly. Add some mulch to the soil, too.
Putting wood chips 3 to 4 inches deep around — but not directly against the trunk of — your trees, shrubs and perennials is another good idea. The wood chips hold onto water, plus any precipitation will soak through the chips, keeping the moisture in the soil.
If you have evergreens in your landscape, protect them with a burlap barrier. You can create one by putting four stakes in the soil around the evergreens, then wrap the stakes in burlap. This will serve as great protection from winter winds that further dry evergreens out in winter.
Evergreens lose moisture or "transpire" all winter long. Add an extra layer of protection to them with an anti-desiccant spray in November and December. If you were planning to plant evergreens and you have sandy soil, consider waiting until spring to put those in the ground.
One other method to keep your trees and shrubs protected and well-watered over the winter is a snow fence. Choose a 4-foot-tall fence with 50% density/openings, and put it 40 feet upwind of your plants. The snow will accumulate around your new plants behind that fence. As the ground freezes and thaws, that will provide water to the tree and shrub roots.
Dealing with holes from animals digging up bees' nests
Q: I am writing with a bit of a dilemma. A bee's nest is destroying my perennial garden. I am in favor of promoting pollinators, and there are many features of our yard that are favorable for their support. However, what started as a small opening in the ground has now become two large holes the size of bowling balls. It appears that animals (raccoons? skunks?) have raided the hive by digging it out. Despite this, one of the nests is still active. I am averse to killing off the bees, but, at the same time I am afraid that my garden will continue to be damaged with plant roots being exposed (not to mention the aesthetic impact of two giant holes!). I am wondering what I should do. Is there any advice that you could give to help me with this? - Ralph, in Newport Center
A: From the photos, it seems the raccoons and skunks may have taken care of the bees' nests for this season.
There might still be some bee activity, but with cooler temperatures, that will die down.
As the seasons change, try to fill some soil back into those holes so the perennials' roots are covered. And use the watering methods listed above so they'll be in good shape to overwinter.
Trees and plants for a sloping bank with sandy soil
Q: I would like to plant some trees or low-profile shrubs that don’t need pruning on this gradually sloping narrow bank with sandy soil to preserve the bank, any ideas? - Jamie, in Richmond
A: It appears this bank in your yard gets plenty of sun, so for the most success, plant some native varieties there.
Try some Eastern red cedars or similar shorter, smaller trees like viburnum, ninebark and beech plum.
Alternately, if you want to plant something that will creep along the sloping lawn, try creeping Juniper, creeping sumac, even a creeping cotoneaster.
These would grow well because they stay low to the ground and they'll root along their stem. Eventually, plants like these could fill up the whole slope with plant material, and look really beautiful.
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