We wish you a wonderful holiday weekend with family and friends. Perhaps we’ll be able to enjoy snow again this year?
Dogs and snow usually don’t go together, but it’s fun to run through the snow for a bit, no?
Happy Holidays from TurfMutt
The Protective Powers of Snow
Believe it or not, snow has a protective quality for perennials, bulbs, shrubs and other plants as it shields your plant life from the alternate freezing and thawing cycles of winter. Snow is like nature’s blanket.
However, even if you don’t have snow to keep your plants warm, you can use straw or pine branches to keep your exposed greenery warm. As mentioned in other posts, keep lone-standing plants away from wind or other extreme elements.
For more ways snow can be useful, visit this link.
Your Lawn is at Stake!
It may be hard to imagine six-foot snow drifts, or even a few inches of snow on the ground. But, it could happen. So before the winter storms start, incrementally place long stakes in the ground on the edge of your lawn to ensure you, or the snow plow, don’t scrape your grass. If you live in more wintery climates, consider installing snow fences to prevent large drifts near your home.
For instructions on how best to position the stakes, visit this link.
Deck the Halls, with Holly Trees
Pine trees aren’t the only kind of evergreen tree that moves front and center this holiday season.
Holly trees are most prevalent in the Southeastern United States, although they can withstand even harsher weather conditions. It does best in moist, fertile, slightly acidic soil. As with bulbs, holly trees need to be planted on well-drained land.
A slow growing tree, hollies love sunlight and can grow up to 30 feet. Only female holly trees produce the bright red berries we’ve grown to love during the holidays. For more holly tree information, visit this link.
Plant Protection – It’s a Wrap
While the temperatures loom below freezing, wrap your more sensitive plants in frost cloth available at your local garden center. But remember that ventilation even in winter time is important to avoid fungus growth on the plant. You can also use dead pine branches to keep your plants protected from freezing rain or snow. Group potted plants together because, believe it or not, they share warmth.
What’s your favorite method for keeping your plants warm in the wintertime?
Your School Can Win $5,000 to Spruce Up Grounds
In concert with the expanded TurfMutt program that now reaches K-5 classrooms across the U.S., educators can enter the ‘Spruce Up Your School’ Sweepstakes for a chance to win a $5,000 grant to give their school’s play area an eco-friendly makeover.
Two runners up will receive “Green Packs,” complete with eco-friendly, TurfMutt-branded school supplies for the whole classroom. Educators may enter once a day, every day to increase their chances of winning.
Can you imagine what your school can do with $5,000 to make your school grounds and yard more green, vibrant and lush? Don’t imagine, just send this link to your elementary teacher – or PTO – and enter each day between now and March 1, 2012.
The history of mistletoe
Did you know that the tradition of hanging mistletoe on your doorframe found its roots during the 6th Century?
The Celtic Druids viewed mistletoe, which often grows around strong trees such as oak, as a symbol of life and fertility. Later, the Greeks believed the plant had mystical powers. By the Middle Ages, Europeans took to hanging it from the ceiling to ward off evil spirits. Today we use it to spark a spontaneous smooch during the holidays. As we mentioned in an earlier post, it can be poisonous when ingested so handle with care. For more mistletoe traditions, visit this site.
Do you decorate with mistletoe?
TurfMutt Expands Program to K-5 Classrooms
We’re happy to report that the TurfMutt program has expanded to meet the needs of K-5 educators across the country.
Based on TurfMutt’s tremendous success among grades 3-5 teachers in its first year, the program has now been expanded to meet the needs of K-2 classrooms. Designed to get students outside investigating the benefits of landscaping and recycling, TurfMutt online lessons and resources help students understand the importance of the green spaces that surround us daily such as lawns, flowers, bushes and trees.
According to one teacher:
“TurfMutt has helped open my students’ eyes to a new way of learning about our nations’ various ecosystems and has inspired them to take a deeper interest in preserving their environment,” said Wendy Palese, a fourth and fifth grade teacher for Mechanicsburg Area School District in Pennsylvania. “The interactive, kid-friendly TurfMutt website is more intriguing than ordinary classroom materials and encourages students to explore and research science beyond what they read about in their textbooks.”
Check out the new lesson plans and activities now.
Plant Protection – Gone with the Wind
Wind might be good for producing energy, but it can mean death for your plants. Wind can dry out plants and the surrounding soil to the point that they don’t have enough moisture to live. You can install protective cloth fencing or an attractive trellis to break the effects cold wind can have on your plants. If your plants are in pots, move them to a wind-protected area near your house – or bring them inside.
Have you had any plants suffer from irreparable wind damage?
Perish the thought, not the plant!
Winter hardiness is an important consideration when planning your garden. Deciduous trees, bulbs, shrubs and perennials are winter-resistant while annuals die off by the first frost. Just because a plant is a perennial does not mean it will thrive under all weather conditions.
Be sure you plant in well-drained areas as root rot is a common reason plants do not survive the winter. Even winter-hardy plants can perish if their roots remain wet.
For other winter garden survival tips visit this link.