Core Aeration is one of the most beneficial services homeowners can have done for their properties each year, for a variety of reasons. It is our firm belief at Vetorino’s Fertilization that if you as a homeowner only chose to do one thing for your lawn each year, you make that service your annual Core Aeration.
What does Aeration do? Aeration does a variety of things for your lawn, and listed below are our Top best reasons why every homeowner should aerate each year.
BENEFITS OF CORE AERATION
• Relieves soil compaction
• Increases water infiltration
• Stimulates new root development
• Improves turf thickness, vigor, and overall health
• Provides better fertilizer penetration into the root zone
• Increases air penetration into soil which increases soil microbe activity
• Increased microbe activity breaks down thatch
with daylight shortening and nights cooling, any houseplants you moved outside need to come back indoors. Not so for any pests that might be hiding on their leaves and stems. I don’t know about you, but when I get ready to bring them in, I have a bit of rearranging to do before they come in. My houseplants love their outdoor summer vacation. The bright light, fresh air, and quenching rains do wonders for their health. They grow more robust and get charged up for the rest of the year.
First things first, before you bring in those plants, look them over carefully. Thoroughly inspect each plant. I remove damaged leaves and spent flowers. If there’s signs of pests—mottled or sticky leaves, tiny webs—or tiny insects moving about, I take care of them before bringing the plants indoors. Far worse than the harmless hitchhikers are the ravenous plant pests. While they’re outdoors, spider mites, whiteflies, thrips, and aphids are kept in check by predators and environmental conditions. Indoors, these pests can rapidly get out of control. That’s why inspection and cleaning are crucial
Give leaf tops and undersides a good hosing with a strong, but not damaging stream of water. This dislodges larger caterpillars or spiders and often takes care of harder-to-see pests like aphids. Bugs love to hide in the plants leaves. If it is a small plant without a whole bunch of leaves, you can simply wash each leaf off. All you need is a bucket of warm water with some dish soap mixed in. Bugs hate soap, and it will either kill them or make them move off your plants. With a rag, wipe down the leaves with the warm soapy water. Recently I read about an interesting way you can do this if your plant has a lot of leaves – turn the plant upside down, stick the plant’s top into the warm soapy water and gently swish the plant around to wash the leaves off. If you do it this way, you will need to place your hands over the soil to keep the dirt from coming out of the pot.
You can also use an insecticide or insecticidal soap, and to get rid of scaly bugs and eggs or you can use rubbing alcohol. Whichever method you choose, make sure that you do it in the shade to prevent the sun from damaging your plants.
Next, check the soil for bugs. If you find bugs in the soil, you can take the plant and submerge the entire pot in water. Allow it to soak at least an hour. They should surface and you can skim them off of the top of the water.
Once you have your houseplants washed, and soaked, it is time to bring them closer to the house. It is always a shock to your plants to go from one environment to another and it’s not unusual for your houseplants to show signs of stress when you bring them indoors. If you had your plants right out in the open, you will want to get them accustomed to the inside. If you have a porch, bring them in there for a week or two to help them acclimate. Do this only if you have the time before it freezes though. If you bring them directly indoors, try to put them in a place with the same level of light they had outdoors. Also, mist them with water to keep humidity high.
If you have any questions, tips or ideas-please, we encourage you to share them!
Common Name: Grubworm Scientific Name: Varies Order: Coleoptera Description: White grubs are “C”-shaped larvae, up to 1 inch long, with cream-colored bodies and brown head capsules. They have three pairs of legs, one on each of the first three segments behind the head. Adult beetles, commonly referred to as May beetles or Junebugs are ½ to 5/8 inches long, and reddish brown. Pest Status: Larval stages eat roots of grasses, vegetable and ornamental plants; Adults can be a nuisance around lights at night in early summer; medically harmless.
“Grub” is a catch-all term for the larval, or worm, stage of many kinds of beetles. May beetles (also called Junebugs), Japanese beetles, Masked Chafers, Billbugs, Asiatic Garden Beetles and others all are grubs in the soil prior to emerging as beetles during the growing season. Grubs hibernate during the winter months and then they must come up in late spring to nosh grass roots for a few weeks so they then can pupate from grub to adult Japanese beetle or June beetle. In the Northeast, Japanese beetle grubs are the most common pests of residential lawns. Grubs are plump whitish colored worms that grow 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches long. They have 3 pairs of legs and tan heads with large, brown-black mouth parts. They rest in a characteristic C-shaped curl just under the soil surface in planted areas or turf, where they feed on roots of ornamental plants and lawn grasses. They typically are found in irrigated lawns, though non watered lawns are not at risk. other factors that can lead to poor rooting and are mistaken for grubs. For example, lawns in shade areas often have weak roots and are pulled-up easily. Grubs do not typically appear in shade lawns. It takes only 5 white grubs per square foot in a lawn with only two inches of roots to virtually destroy that lawn if nothing is done. Since the grass roots have been destroyed, the lawn will appear yellow in patches, just like the lawn is dying out. Therefore, the damage looks quite similar to symptoms of dryness. Another sign of grubs is damage from skunks and raccoons digging up lawns in search of grubs to eat. This usually happens at night.If significant grub damage occurs, the lawn will need some renovation work in early fall.It’s wise to monitor the lawn as we advance into late summer and be ready to act if grubs start to appear. Watch for grass areas going off-color and just starting to brown, in particular those areas that have been irrigated. Check the root zone for small white grubs. Insecticides such as Diazinon or Trichlorfon (Dylox) can be applied when grubs are first noticed to prevent large-scale damage. Other insecticides such as Imidacloprid (Merit) or Halofenozide (GrubEx) can be applied prior to noting damage, such as in late July to lawns likely to show damage (adult beetles present, irrigating lawn). All of these insecticides should be watered into the soil for best results, it’s also beneficial if your lawn is watered prior to application. That’s where we come in- our licensed, trained professionals will be happy to discuss what treatment plan is right for you.
The earth’s soil is a rich storehouse of nutrients essential to the growth, beauty and good health of plants. Science tells us that plants must have 16 basic nutrients available to them through the soil and air. But different soils contain varying amounts of the nutrients required to support growth and development. When a soil does not contain enough of a particular nutrient, a fertilizer must be used. Fertilizers are supplemental feedings of nutrients not found in the soil in a sufficient quantity to satisfactorily promote plant growth and good health.
Of all the essential nutrients, Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) are required in relatively large quantities and usually need to be supplemented.
Benefits of Fertilizing:
1) To promote new growth and hardiness
2) To relieve stress, effects of aging and wear.
3) To counteract damage due to insects or disease.
4) To eliminate competition with weeds for available nutrients.
5) To help replace nutrients lost to leaching, volatilization to the air, and removal of clippings and the harvesting of fruits and vegetables
Basics of Fertilizer
The three large numbers printed on each fertilizer bag (sometimes called “NPK” number) indicate analysis or grade.
These numbers refer to the guaranteed percentages of:
Nitrogen (N)
Phosphorus (expressed as P2O5)
Potash (expressed as K20)
and are always printed on the bag in that order. Ratio refers to the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash on any given product.
For Example: A 16-4-8 analysis indicates a 4-1-2 ratio.
The fertilizer analysis printed on the product label indicates the quantity of the nutrient content, not the quality, or type of nutrients used in the product. For example, some fertilizers may be organic while others are inorganic, but both are designed to achieve similar results.
Types of Fertilizer
Natural Organics are composed of hydrocarbon compounds, which are derived from decaying matter. Examples include: animal manure, bone meal, dried blood, compost, peat moss and biosolids. Organic Fertilizers are essentially non-burning and long lasting since they break down usable nitrogen over a period of 8-10 weeks.
Inorganics are composed of mineral compounds which are derived from non-living matter such as ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate and calcium nitrate. This is usually lower cost fertilizer…specifically used for fast greening, and not for long term feeding. Burning can occur if not used carefully.
Vetorino’s licensed experts can help you choose the program that’s right for you. Call today for your free consultation
“I wish I could make my lawn look like Fenway” you know, the pattern, the lush green carpet. Well, we’d like to offer up some tips on how you can achieve something similar.
Stripes are a visual effect caused by laying (or bending) grass leaf blades over as you mow in opposite directions. Reflecting sunlight gives the appearance of alternating light and dark green stripes. The grass blades that are bent in the direction you are mowing will appear as light green stripes and the blades bent toward you will appear to be a darker shade of green. Lawn stripes are not created by using special fertilizer techniques, cutting at different heights, painting different colors of green or using different grass species. This is best achieved if you have a roller attachment on your mower, if you don’t you still can make it happen, and if you want- you can actually buy a striping kit!
We’d like you to remember a few key facts: When we’re in a period of extreme heat and or drought you can actually kill your lawn with one single improper mowing. In general, you should never remove more than 33% of the blade of grass. This holds true all throughout the year, no matter the season. Grass does not need to be mowed shorter in the spring or fall. A target length depends upon the type of grass you have for optimal health. There is a direct relationship between mowing height and the depth of the root-the shorter you mow, the shorter the root. When it’s extremely hot and dry, it’s okay to mow at an even longer length to preserve any moisture. Properly watering your lawn and fertilizating are also key factors
To achieve the striped pattern in your lawn follow these basic steps:
To create the Straight Pattern:
1. Cut the perimeter of your lawn (2 passes are recommended to allow for consistent turning and clean visual patterns)
2. Mow your first ‘stripe’ while keeping in mind a ‘line of sight’ to keep stripe alignment straight.
3. Continue to align ‘stripes’ paralleled to the first.
To create the Checkerboard Pattern: Helpful Hint: Plan your pattern so that both sets of stripes are positioned diagonally with your intended line of sight.
Striped pattern in lawn
1. Cut the perimeter of your lawn (2 passes are recommended)
2. Mow your first ‘stripe’ just as in the ‘Straight Pattern’ keeping a ‘line of sight’.
3. Continue to align ‘stripes’ with the original.
4. Your second pass will criss cross over the first patterned design, helping to create the checkerboard effect.
It’s that time of the year for me, I get itchy to get outside. The holidays have long since passed, and we have settled into the Winter doldrums. About this time, I want to get out and get my hands dirty! I start some seeds indoors- though I learned my lesson- there really is NO reason for me to start 280 tomato plants inside in late February-
According to the US Department of Agriculture’s hardiness zone map, we are Zone 6-A, and I always thought we were 7- see, we can learn something new every day! Though nothing is perfect, there are pros and cons to this map- such as-that it does a fine job of delineating the garden climates of the eastern half of North America. That area is comparatively flat, so mapping is mostly a matter of drawing lines approximately parallel to the Gulf Coast every 120 miles or so as you move north. The lines tilt northeast as they approach the Eastern Seaboard. They also demarcate the special climates formed by the Great Lakes and by the Appalachian mountain ranges.-which is a good thing. With a pro there is usually a con, and here it is- In the eastern half of the country, the USDA map doesn’t account for the beneficial effect of a snow cover over perennial plants, the regularity or absence of freeze-thaw cycles, or soil drainage during cold periods. And in the rest of the country (west of the 100th meridian, which runs roughly through the middle of North and South Dakota and down through Texas west of Laredo), the USDA map fails. So as with anything, you have to use your best judgement.
Here are a few things that you can do to start getting things ready for Spring!
Get your tools ready! Clean them up-wash them with a light abrasive sponge and get all the remaining dirt off of them, dry them and lightly oil them up. Sharpen any cutting tools that you have so that cuts are clean and easy. (of course, you did this already this Fall when you put them away)
Prune trees and shrubs, both ornamentals and fruit
Check flower beds for plants that may have heaved
Fluff up the mulch in your beds, and if you have some on hand, replace as needed
Check outside plants and trees for animal damage
Cut some branches for forcing indoors-I like Forsythia- to me that says that Spring can’t be far away
Rejuvenate holly bushes with a hard pruning
Cut back your ornamental grasses-I find that tying them makes it easier
Check evergreens for sign of desiccation (drying out) – hope you had us come out and spray them with an Anti-desiccant this past Fall-
Start seeds of cool season vegetables and flowers
This is also a good time to check your houseplants for any pests and finish up your catalog seed and plant orders-I say- get out there and get those hands dirty!!
If you have any questions or comments, we welcome you to post them in the comment box below-
I’m in hibernation mode with visions of seedlings dancing in my head.
The fact that I start receiving all kinds of catalogs with gorgeous flowers and healthy vegetables only encourages me. Thus begins my planning for the coming seasons’ garden. I start to get itchy to have my hands in the dirt, so I begin getting my “fixins” together and find things that work to start my seedlings. (I now know what to do with all of those laundry detergent caps that I save-you know- because someday I may buy one with out the cap-or it may get lost in the “land of the lost left socks” so it makes sense to have a million of them on hand-)They can make a great vessel for starting seeds-another great idea for seed starting (compliments of my boss’ wife) are the pods from your K-cups. I begin my list of what I would like to plant, then pare it down to what is reasonable. I learned that lesson after planting 280 tomato seeds one year-good thing I had access to a LOT pots and plenty of friends wanting them. I always tend to have “garden grandeur” and think that I should have more plants than is wise for me because honestly, come July, I’m more interested in sailing than weeding. I received a schedule for indoor seed starting and thought it would be a good thing to share, compliments of one of my favorite catalogs: John Scheepers Kitchen Garden.
Here is the general Seed-Starting Schedule for seeds that should be started eight weeks before the last expected spring frost date.
Eight-week General Seed-Starting Timetable Horticultural Zones 9 & 10: Start seeds indoors in early to mid January. Horticultural Zone 8: Start seeds indoors in early February. Horticultural Zone 7: Start seeds indoors in mid February. Horticultural Zone 6: Start seeds indoors in late February. Horticultural Zone 5: Start seeds indoors in early March. Horticultural Zones 1-4: Start seeds indoors in mid to late March.
Here is the Seed-Starting Schedule for vegetables, herbs and flowers that require more or less time prior to transplanting out into the garden.
Four Weeks: Melons, Bitter Melon and Cucuzzi Edible Gourds. Six Weeks: Asparagus, Fennel, Onions, Rhubarb, Shallots, Tomatillos, Basil, Echinacea Root and St. John’s Wort. Eight Weeks: Eggplant, Tomatoes, Chiles, Sweet and Bell Peppers, Chives, Sage, Stevia and Thyme. Nine Weeks: Broccoli, Cabbage and Kohlrabi (transplant out four weeks before the last frost date). Ten Weeks: Celery, Celeriac, Jicama and Lemongrass. Eleven Weeks: Leeks, Artichokes and Cauliflower (transplant out four weeks before the last frost date). Twelve Weeks: Cardoons and Brussels Sprouts. Sixteen Weeks: Strawberries (for first year crop) and Rosemary.
Flower Seed-Starting Timetable
Five Weeks: Alyssum. Six Weeks: Balsam, Cutting Ageratum, China Asters, Celosia, Cleome, Coleus, Catmint Nepeta, Echinacea, Euphorbia, Forget-Me-Nots, Dahlia, Nicotiana, Scabiosa, Snapdragons, Stock and Thunbergia. Eight Weeks: Baby’s Breath, Black-Eyed Susans, Milkweed, Coreopsis, Gaillardia, Globe Amaranth, Helichrysum, Hibiscus, Hollyhock, Heuchera, Nigella, Phlox, Platycodon, Statice and Yarrow. Ten Weeks: Dianthus, Digitalis, Lobelia and Heliotrope. Twelve Weeks: Datura, Salvia, Verbena and Viola.
I hope that you found this helpful, and would love to hear your tips, questions, and comments below-
There’s an old adage about not putting all of your eggs in one basket -It is an idiomatic phrase meaning that one should not focus all his or her resources on one hope, possibility or avenue of success.If you put all of your eggs in one basket when you are ready to sell them, if anything happens to the basket, all the eggs will be gone. Therefore, it is best to put the eggs into several different baskets for safekeeping – or, best to put your money or time or investment into several different things. This isn’t always true- and for your landscaping, there are many benefits to having one company for all of your landscaping needs.
As you know by now, we are a full service company- if you need it, we can likely do it- enough said-
We train and expect our men and women to be observant, and make sure that they communicate when they notice that something isn’t right- for example: The maintenance crew comes out weekly to mow your lawn and someone notices that there seems to be a big squishy spot out in the back corner of your yard, or several discolored patches in the lawn- they bring that information back and we address it immediately. Based on the information, we make sure that we let you know about the problem and get the appropriate person out there ASAP to assess and correct the situation. When you choose to have several different companies maintaining your landscape XYZ takes care of your irrigation and one of those large Mid-West corporations taking care of your fertilization, and someone else mows your lawn, no one is really looking out for you and your property as a whole. So, when considering who is taking care of your landscaping, maybe you should reconsider “putting all of your eggs in one basket”
Call us or leave a comment we’re be happy to provide to you a free estimate –
There are many benefits to having a Fall clean up~It’s not just about the appearance of your property that should make you decide to have a Fall cleanup. There are several other factors you should think about as well.
By removing the leaves from the lawn, it helps to keep lawn fungus’ at bay, lawn fungus’ such as Gray and Pink Snow Mold. Snow mold is caused when there is an extended period of snow cover on ground that is not completely frozen. Snow mold can also occur under leaves that have not been cleaned up or amongst long grass that should have been mowed once more before winter set in. Leaves can smother the lawn and kill it off, which becomes expensive in the Spring when you get the new grass to grow. Most lawns in the Northern U.S. are composed of one or more cool-season grasses. “Cool-season” lawn grasses are so called because they’re most active during those periods of the year when moderately cool weather predominates. Fall is one of those times. Blessed with sufficient sunlight, nutrients and water, and enjoying temperatures that are neither too cold nor too hot, cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass revitalize themselves in fall. This is when they must “make hay,” strengthening their root systems. A thick layer of fallen leaves can impede the growth of these grasses. Why? Because they can deprive the grass of a key element: sunlight. If not raked up in time, a thick and/or matted layer of fallen leaves casts excessive shade over the grass below. Last but not least….wet matted leaves are harder to clean up in the spring, which takes more time and thus your cost increases.
You may have begun to notice the little white moths flying around at night………guess who!!!
What can you do now to help protect your trees from Winter Moth and other voracious insects ?? Nothing ….OR you can spray a Horticultural Oil to smother any eggs that have been laid and suffocate any that have hatched. Our licensed professionals are here to help you –
Aliases
The Munch’ Inch Worm; Operophtera brumata
Hangout Ornamental, orchard and forest trees, especially oaks and maples
Physical Features Young are green inchworms (up to 1″ long) with racecar white stripes on sides: adult males are grayish brown with 1″ wingspans, and appear hairy; females have no wings
Life Cycle and DAMAGE
Winter moth larvae hatch and feed ravenously on leaves and fruit beginning as early as March, when temperatures average 55F. Larvae feed on the inside of buds, especially the flower buds of fruits, and leaf clusters during the day, inching their way to the outside of leaves at night. Older larvae feed on foliage. In areas with large infestations winter moth larvae can completely defoliate host plants. In June, larvae drop to the ground under the trees where they bury themselves in the soil until fall. November through January, adults come out and mate. Having no wings, females have a grueling climb up tree trunks where they lay eggs.
As always, we welcome your questions and feedback below….
Do you have questions about how best to protect your roses for the Winter? We suggest a few basic, easy to follow steps to help yours make it through the tough Winter months.
Water well. A well hydrated plant can survive winter better than one that is dry and stressed.
Put a couple of shovelfulls of compost over the crown of the rose plant.
Give your rose some non-nitrogen fertilizer. Late fall, after a hard freeze, is a good time to give your rose a dose of Epsom salts (about 1/2 cup per plant), along with rock phosphate (don’t use bonemeal — it attracts rodents) and maybe a little potash. These fertilizers won’t promote new growth on the canes, which can be hurt by frosts and winter. Instead, they will help promote root growth, which can continue well into December if the ground is mulched. And, they’ll have a chance to work into the soil through freeze/thaw actions and be ready for your plants to use in the spring.
We suggest that you trim them in the Fall, so that the wind doesn’t cause them to rock, which can be detrimental to the health of your plant. When they are dormant, in the late Winter/early Spring hard prune your roses. Roses are shrubs that benefit from a hard pruning. The pruning causes the plants to sprout new, healthy growth. Many roses only bloom on new wood, hybrid teas included. For luscious flowers during the summer, make some time for pruning rose bushes. After all, it seems that many of us are happiest when we are working in our gardens, so why not incorporate some Winter gardening as well.
Envious of those designer holiday window boxes that you see in magazines? Well, you too can have that same look with a little work and not too much money-
look around your yard, (some of the things you have cut back like your Hydrangeas and Holly trees make great decorations) or take a walk through the woods to find some evergreen (Pine) limbs and some defoliated tree limbs (those from Birch trees are just about perfect) collect some pine cones too-
pick up some holiday ribbon from your local craft or discount store and a can of gold or silver spray paint, and some florist wire, maybe even a little spray on snow. You might want to check out “wreath piks” and some silk flowers
Fill the planter (window boxes, whiskey barrels etc) with dirt or some green florist styrofoam so that you have something to anchor your decorations to and start placing your decorations, let some of the greens overhang the sides.
A fun idea is to add some of those oversized plastic ornaments and drape some small Christmas lights throughout the display. There are so many ideas, and it really is fun and easy to do.
We’d love to hear some of your ideas, so please share them with us in the comment box below- Happy Decorating!
[facebook]
Now is the time to get those Spring flowering bulbs in the ground to have beautiful bursts of color after a long cold Winter. It’s really quite simple to do and the payoff can be big big color! As with any garden planting you do, proper soil conditions and amendments are key. I love seeing the big, bold, beautiful Daffodils- to me that’s a sure sign that the weather I love will be here soon! So, here are the steps to take to have a beautiful re-awakening after a dreary Winter:
Choose healthy bulbs. Avoid bulbs that are dry and withered, spongy or moldy. In general, the larger the bulb for its type, the more flowers.
Choose an appropriate location. Most flowering bulbs prefer full sun, but that can be almost anywhere in the spring, before the trees leaf out. So don’t overlook a spot that seems perfect, just because it’s a bit shady in the fall. Woodland bulbs; Woodland Anemone, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Dog’s Tooth Violets, and Snowdrops prefer a bit of cool shade.
A well-drained soil will prevent the bulbs from rotting in cool weather. (This is usually my biggest mistake)
In areas such as ours, with cold winters, you can plant bulbs as long as the soil is soft enough to dig a hole, the sooner you plant, the longer they have to start growing their roots before the ground freezes.
Plant with the pointed side up. The pointed end is the stem. You may even be able to see some shriveled roots on the flatter side. If you really can’t tell, don’t worry about it. The stem will find it’s own way, sooner or later.
Plant bulbs to a depth of about 3 times their diameter. For Daffodils, that’s about 6 – 8 inches. Smaller bulbs can be planted to a depth of 3-4 inches and so on.
Mix some bone meal into the soil at the bottom of the hole at planting time, to encourage strong root growth. You could mix in some water soluble fertilizer as well, but it’s not necessary if you’ve already amended your soil.
If rodents tend to eat your bulbs, you can try sprinkling some red pepper in the planting hole. A more secure method is to plant your bulbs in a cage made of hardware cloth and cover with chicken wire if you have dogs that dig. The roots and stems grow through, but the rodents can’t get to the bulbs. Make it easy on yourself and make a cage large enough to plant at least a dozen bulbs. Or you can make it really easy on yourself and stick to daffodils, which rodents and most other animals avoid.
Replace the soil on top of the bulbs. Water the bulbs after planting, to help them settle in and close any air pockets. Through the fall and winter, you only need to worry about watering your bulbs if you’re having a particularly dry season. So, go forth, plant your bulbs and enjoy! and as always….we welcome your questions and comments~
Ready to head out into the garden? A pair of sharp hedge shears will make your work go quickly. Keep pruners handy for the tougher stems. Cut perennials back one to two inches above the ground, so you can still see where they are. Pull out spent annuals. This is a great time to get the weeds out- doing this chore now can save a lot of headaches in the spring. Top dress your beds with a layer of compost or chopped leaves (I like to run them over with the lawnmower), being careful not to cover the crowns of the plants.
If you have a lot of Hostas and you don’t mind waiting for frost, they will turn to mush and can be easily raked up. Ornamental grasses can be cut back in late fall or, if you like the way they look in winter- left up until spring. Tie them up before you cut them to make cleanup easy. Cut grasses 12 to 18 inches high.
Some plants with attractive seedheads- Black Eyed Susans or Coneflowers, for example, can be left up for winter interest, and to provide food for the birds.
When you are ready to cut back your perennial garden this Fall, keep in mind that certain plants should be left alone until mid to late Spring, when the weather starts to get warm. It is fine to trim the spent flowers off of plants like Lavender, Russian Sage, Candytuft, and Santolina- but cutting into the woody stems could cause them to die back in the winter.
Heucheras, Hellebores (Christmas and Lenten Roses), and Tiarellas (foam flowers) remain mostly evergreen through the winter. Remove the old leaves in the spring when the new leaves or flowers emerge.
Some perennials need the extra protection of leaves to help them survive colder temperatures. Hardy mums and coreopsis return better and more vigorously if they are not cut back in fall.
While peonies can (and should) be cut back one to two inches above the ground now, tree peonies should never be cut back.
Questions or comments? Please feel free to comment in the space below-Happy Gardening!
Cindy Hollett, MCH (Massachusetts, Certified Horticulturist.)Vetorino’s Landscape and Irrigation
It adds a protective waxy coating to the tops and undersides of the leaves of broadleaf evergreens to help slow the process of transpiration which causes water loss and winter damage. As the ground freezes, our plants are unable to draw up essential moisture, so the leaves begin to sacrifice stored moisture from their upper and lower stomata, under the winds of winter.
time frame:
Apply anti-desiccant when the daytime temperatures start falling below 50 degrees (late fall/early winter). Apply when the temperatures are above freezing and there is no threat of rain or frost within 24 hours, so that the spray has a chance to dry thoroughly on your plants.
plants susceptible to winter burn damage:
Broadleaf evergreens such as Holly, Rhododendron, Cherry Laurel, Skip Laurel, Mountain Laurel, Japanese Skimmia, Leucothoe, Aucuba and Boxwood.
Questions or comments about this service? Comment below herpes symptoms in women or call us today- Estimates are always Free! 508-362-9148
Common Name: Grubworm
for all of your landscaping needs……..
You may have begun to notice the little white moths flying around at night………guess who!!!
Do you have questions about how best to protect your roses for the Winter? We suggest a few basic, easy to follow steps to help yours make it through the tough Winter months.
Now is the time 
