Gardening season has ended, and with everything going on in the world we might begin to feel that a long, cold winter lies before us with no exciting prospects. Not so! In only 75 days it will be the shortest day of the year! Then we can start looking forward to spring!
If you have not added your name to the mailing lists for any seed catalogues, please do so now so that you can get catalogues later! As we have said before, it is a great delight to get a seed catalogue on a frigid and blustery winter day and begin thinking about new gardening life and a new gardening season. Seed catalogues present us with the new and exciting seed and plant offerings for the coming year, but they also offer a wealth of gardening information about different plants. You can make a cup of tea, sit down and watch a blizzard through the window, while you are cozy and warm indoors and be reading about new plants and dreaming of where to plant them! It is a great way to boost winter-weary spirits! Talk to gardening friends about which catalogues they enjoy, or visit our Yorkton and District Horticultural Society website at www.yorktonhort.ca and see some seed catalogues that we are familiar with!
I鈥檝e been reading up on the best way to wrap our cedars for winter. Though it is still too early to do this task, it is good to know the best way to wrap them, and why we are wrapping them. First of all, it was important to learn that cedars turn brown in the winter not only because of harsh winds and the sun reflecting off the snow and burning them, but also because they can鈥檛 draw any moisture up through the frozen ground. That is why we should try and water our cedars well right now. A layer of mulch around the base of the cedar also helps to keep the moisture in, so that it doesn鈥檛 evaporate in these wild winds that we seem to have lately.
I also read something interesting: that it is best if we can set up stakes around our cedars, leaving a gap of about three inches away from the cedar, and then wrap the burlap around the stakes. Guess why? I read that if the burlap is touching the cedar, it pulls moisture away from the leaves, acting like a wick.
I have seen wrapping done both ways, and while setting up stakes to hold the burlap may be ideal it is not always possible or practical. So perhaps we gardeners could meet the facts halfway and if we can鈥檛 use stakes, then maybe we could wrap the cedar loosely. Sometimes cedars are bound up so tightly that they look like burlap mummies, and this can鈥檛 be good for them even at the best of times! But a loose wrapping, tied gently with twine to keep the burlap in place, might be the next best alternative to staking the burlap.
When should we wrap cedars? If we just planted them or moved them this year, they are still getting settled and need that extra attention. If the plant has struggled this year, same thing: give it a little TLC and hope that it survives the winter. Or if the cedar is in the path of wild winter winds, it can use a little protection! We always say that if our plants are trying, we have to as well!
This has been a challenging year for us all but there is still much to be thankful for; I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, may every grace and blessing be yours. Happy Anniversary to my precious husband Keith, so thankful for you! Thank you to our friends at Yorkton This Week for their wonderful work bringing us local news.聽 Gardeners, enjoy fall puttering in your garden and have a great week!
