Deep fall watering, burlap for exposed evergreens and smart salt use keep shrubs healthy through a DeKalb County winter.
Water deeply before the ground freezes
Evergreens keep losing moisture through their needles all winter. Give newly planted trees and shrubs, and especially arborvitae and boxwood, a deep soaking every week or two through October and into November until the ground freezes.
Protect against wind and sun
Winter burn happens when cold wind and bright sun dry out evergreen foliage while the roots are frozen. Burlap screens on the windward side protect exposed boxwood and yews. Avoid wrapping plastic directly around plants.
Watch the salt
De-icing salt splashed from driveways and roads browns evergreens and damages roots. Use calcium chloride or sand near beds, pile plowed snow away from plantings and flush beds with water in spring.
Wrap the trunks of young thin-barked trees like maples with tree wrap in November to prevent sunscald and rodent damage. Remove it in April.
Pro tip
Knock off heavy snow gently
Wet snow can split upright arborvitae and junipers. Brush it off upward with a broom rather than shaking frozen branches, which can snap. Tying multi-stem evergreens loosely in fall helps.
Need a hand? Around Sandwich we handle fall cleanup, yearly landscape maintenance, landscape design and spring cleanup. Call (815) 555-0162 for a free estimate.
