Winter Notes From McKay Nursery Company

December Landscape and Garden Notes from McKay Nursery Company

“Last chance to beat the weather"
By Tim Flood


Not much left to do in the yard anymore, except to plan for next year. Now is the absolute best time for your local McKay Representative to come over and measure you up for a new side or back yard, or maybe you are ready for a whole new you in the front as well – before the snow flies! Now is a great time for these professionals to put together a great new design for you.

Last chance to plant any spring flowering bulbs if your ground has not frozen yet. Plant them at the correct depth, and give them a drink of water, and forget them until spring.

Last chance to get that mulch around your rose bushes and Hydrangea macrophylla types. Don’t cut the rose canes; just mound the bottom with some mulch for great winter protection. Any extra mulch can be added to your perennial beds. Any evergreen branches from your Christmas tree can be placed over perennials or anything liking a bit more winter protection.

Lawn care is now done. Be careful not to walk on frozen turf without any snow cover, as it does damage the grass plants, so when installing Christmas lights or getting to your bird feeders, wait until the sun take the frost off, or go around the grass areas until you get some snow covering on those turf areas. You can run the gasoline out of your lawn equipment, or add fuel stabilizer to the tank. The newer formulation of gas does not last well in the tank.

Road salt is a killer for so many plants. If you use salt on your sidewalks or driveways, be sure to use it carefully…or maybe try using an alternative like sand or kitty litter, or maybe Milorganite fertilizer. Milorganite is black and attract the heat from the sun to melt the ice, and does not hurt any plants.

Heavy, wet snows on evergreens or other dense shrubs should be brushed off soon after it falls to prevent damaging the form of the plant. If you have topiaries or evergreens that you want to protect the form, you may want to use some twine to tighten up the shrub to help it stay in form if there is a snow load on it.

Some natural evergreens branches, Viburnum or Holly berries, and maybe some dried flowers can be put in window boxes or containers for Holiday decorations, and for the winter months. If the soil is already frozen, you can pour some warm water in the soil and then press the stems into the soil. Maybe you have a small evergreen or a deciduous tree that is the focal point in your back yard landscape that you should consider lighting to enjoy for the Holiday season? We see the lights in our back yard more than the ones in the front yard.