Merrifield Garden Center

With the extremely dry fall we’ve had this year, we’re enjoying the rain that is coming our way this week and next. But even with the rainfall, our plants will still be dry and thirsty as we’re down roughly six inches of rain since September.

We recommend supplementing the rainfall by thoroughly soaking your plants as if we had an entire day’s worth of rain.

Don’t worry, you can’t overwater your plants during a single watering session as the excess water that is not absorbed by the plant will simply run off the soil. No plant wants to go into winter dry! If our plants go dormant for the winter while dry, it’s less likely that they’ll thrive in the spring or even survive.

With new plantings, it’s important to follow our planting and watering instructions throughout the fall season and continue to check the plants for water every three to five days, and water as needed. With established plants, check them weekly through the rest of the calendar year and thoroughly soak them when needed. Broadleaf evergreens such as hollies, rhododendrons and laurels tend to need water the most at this time of year. This is especially true if we have less than the normal amount of rainfall, like we’re experiencing in our area right now.

Remember that it’s not too late to plant your trees and shrubs. You can continue planting throughout the rest of the year and into winter. The only time to avoid planting is when the ground is deeply frozen, which may occur in our area only for only a few weeks in January or February.

As we enter the winter months, we also recommend turning off the water to the outside of your house to prevent hose bibs and pipes from freezing. If we have a warmer day in January or February, remember to turn the water back on and thoroughly soak all of your plants in the landscape, especially new plantings and broad-leaf evergreens. A pocket hose can be a great tool for this type of watering as they roll up and store easily. When you’re done watering, turn the water to the outside of your house back off to prevent the pipes from freezing in the future.

If you have any questions about specific plants and their water requirements, please visit our Plant Clinics at any of our three stores, or call in and speak with one of our plant specialists. We will also update you on our Facebook page with our latest recommendations throughout the rest of the season.

David Yost, Merrifield Plant Specialist

It was Christmas, 69 degrees, sunny and somehow we had managed to escape winter. Two weeks ago, I still had customers purchasing grass seed! Now with freezing weather and a major snowstorm on the way, Christmas seems like the good ol’ days and winter has arrived.

I’ve been a gardener for most of my life, but since “Snowmageddon 2010”, I’ve been especially attuned to how severe winter weather affects our gardens. You may recall that during this storm 20 inches of snow blanketed the Washington, D.C. region, causing power outages, stranded travelers, etc.

We all saw how the branching habit of evergreens, such as Leyland Cypress, collected the snow and toppled over, but the ‘Green Giant’ arborvitae shed the snow and remained upright. We also saw how trees with brittle wood and/or weak branching structure split, broke and suffered major damage while trees that had been pruned to maintain structural integrity escaped injury.

Tree - and car! - damaged by heavy snow.

A couple of years later, we experienced a very dry winter with little snow and saw broadleaf evergreens, especially Japanese hollies, nandina, magnolias and camellias turn brown and shed their leaves the following spring because of winter desiccation. And then the past couple of winters we have seen rosemary, gardenias, figs and other plants killed or damaged by extremely cold temperatures.

So what have I learned and how does this apply to the approaching storm?

Snow is good for the garden! Snow acts as a warm blanket, keeping the temperature at a cozy 32 degrees and sheltering your plants from the drying winds. As it melts, the snow gradually replenishes moisture in the soil.
Pruning works! Woody plants that have been pruned to maintain a sound branch structure will usually be able to support the weight of even a heavy snowstorm with little to no damage.
Remove heavy snow from evergreens. Gently brush it off with a broom before it accumulates to the point where it is breaking branches or pulling the plants to the ground.
Follow the instructions on ice melt products. All of these products, even those labeled as natural and/or safe, contain salts that will damage your plants if you apply too much.
Shrubs damaged by ice melt.
If your plants do get damaged, be patient and allow them time to recover in the spring. Resist the urge to prune or remove plants until you know they are dead. Some plants may not show signs of recovery until as late as June.

If you need help getting your garden prepared for winter, we are ready to help with questions, ice melt and snow shovels to keep you and your garden comfortable through the storm.

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