Each fall I suggest to many of my customers the idea of protecting garden shrubs from the harshness of winter. If the conditions are right (such as in a season which is described below) winter can devastate some shrubs. Evergreens such as Japanese holly and rhododendron are especially susceptible to the drying winter winds. Since evergreens don’t lose their leaves wind can suck the moisture out from the plant and dehydrate them sending them into permanent dormancy.
One method which helps protect evergreen shrubs is to create a wind screen around the plant with burlap and stakes. Adding salt march hay, pine branches or straw to the top of the screen provides additional protection.
Another way you can protect your evergreen shrubs from the cold dry wind is to spray your plants with an anti-desiccant like Wilt-Pruf. This will create a waxy coating on the foliage to seal in the moisture. These sprays are quite effective.
Foundation planting are susceptible to another common winter hazard, falling snow. This is particularly if they are planted below a steep roof in an area which receives a lot of snow. Wooden A-frames placed over the shrubs can deflect chunks of falling snow and ice preventing any major damage to the plant.
Now for those perfect conditions I mentioned. A couple years ago we had an odd winter here in the northeast. Temperature stayed warm until early January. This encouraged some evergreen shrubs to use the moisture that was still in the ground during the late fall and early winter. Suddenly, however, the weather changed and the temperatures dropped dramatically and stayed well below freezing for weeks. It stayed dry though. With no snow cover or any kind protection form the wind many unprotected hollies and other evergreens, having used all the water in the ground (which is usually sealed in by a frozen ground) dried completely and died.
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