Before the ground freezes too far down, it is a good time to put protective fencing around trees and shrubs that may experience damage from deer, rabbit, vole, or mouse feeding over winter. Fruit trees, crabapples, burning bush, shrub hibiscus, Fothergilla, young witch hazel, low-growing junipers and arborvitae are among the plants most commonly damaged, […]
The month of October or even the beginning of November is the best time for planting garlic in the southern part of Wisconsin. The second or third week of October is the usual planting time in northern Wisconsin. We used to plant late in the fall to avoid having cloves sprout. However, new research shows […]
The autumn of 2022 was one of those amazing years for fall color. 2023 has been fairly good as well, which I was not expecting, given the severe drought that can cause woody plants to defoliate earlier than usual. But in 2022, even some woody plants that I don’t normally see great fall color on looked […]
Seed starting time is coming! Do you know if your seeds are viable? Here are some tips to keep in mind. Fresh seed germinates best. Seed packets are labeled with the date they are best used by. Though seeds are usually viable longer than that date, some species lose viability faster, and germination decreases for […]
January 23 begins Salt Awareness week. With the recent snowfall, you may be using de-icing salt products to keep driveways and sidewalks clear. Excess de-icing salts can damage soils, plants and water sources. It just takes one teaspoon of salt in a five-gallon bucket of water before it starts to create problems. It also is […]
If your ground has not frozen yet, it is not too late to put protective fencing around trees and shrubs that often experience damage from deer, rabbit, vole, or mouse feeding over winter. Fruit trees, crab apples, burning bush, forsythia, dwarf Korean lilac, shrub hibiscus, low-growing junipers, and arborvitaes are among the plants that are […]
‘Winter burn’ refers to a type of damage to evergreen foliage that typically occurs over winter. Common symptoms are browning and dying from the tips of the foliage inward. Several factors cause winter burn on evergreens, including winter ‘thaws’ while the ground is frozen, dry soil in autumn, a long period of very cold temperatures, […]
Lawns really benefit from fertilization at least once a year with nitrogen-containing products to maintain turf density, shade out weed seedlings and prevent runoff. If you only do it once, it is best to do it now, between Labor Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day on October 10. Apply no more than one pound of actual […]
