Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-12-02
or shrub. the earlier the feeding
and watering should be stopped.
Protection Against Sun

or shrub, the earlier the feeding
and watering should be stopped
Protection Against Sun
Then there is the problem OF
overcoming the effects of mild
weather during the winter. This
does more damage than almost
any other single phase of winter
weather. When the sun warns
the foliage and starts cell activ-
ity and then the temperatures
fall well below freezing at night,
there is almost certain to be
freeze injury to the foliage II
not to the wood.
The obvious protection needed
is a screen to keep the warming
sun from reaching the evergreen
foliage. A few pine boughs or a
burlap screen erected on the
south side of the plant will avoid
this.
One Of the most commonly
used screen is a slat screen,
more attractive in appearance
than either boughs or burlap.
However. the Stat screen does
not reduce the moisture loss in
windy situations, and moisture
loss from evergreen foliage can
be serious If the soil is lacking
in moisture or the roots are not
well enough established.
Purpose Of Mulch
MulcheS help in winter protec-
ton Of evergreens. if they are
applied before the ground is
deeply chilled or frozen. The
objective is to keep the ground
from freezing so that the roots
will function late into the winter,
supplying the foliage with ade-
quate moisture. The deeper the
mulch the longer the ground will
remain unfrozen and the roots
will function. The mulch should
not be applied too early in the
fall or the soil will remain warm
and the plants continue in active
growth. When the leaves come
tumbling down is usually a safe
time to begin the deep mulching
Of the evergreens.
Wrapping up the tender shrubs
with cylinders packed full of
leaves, or sewing them in bags,
is apt to do more harm than
good. The planting of tender
shrubs on the south of a building
is likely to result in some winter
injury.
Abelias in the City are often
winter-injured while in the more
outlying sections of the suburban
area they usually come through
the winter with hardly the loss
Of a twig.
Fig trees In exposed situations
seldom suffer injury. but planted
against the south wall of a house
they fare badly.
Danger to Roses
We used to pile dirt about the
bases Of our roses and then I'LL
the spaces in between with ma
nure or compost. The roses
benefited from the plant food but
too often the stems were infected
with canker and soon died. Now
the maximum protection. and
that only in exposed situations,
is a cone Of dirt to prevent their
swaying in the wind. II the
bushes are tall and in a wind
swept situation, it will pay to cut
them back to 3 or 4 feet in height
lust to reduce the surface ex-
posed to the wind.
Azaleas. rhododendrons, ca
mellias. and similar shrubs
should be protected from the
winter sun but this need be only
by the twigs Of a deciduous tree
pr a few pine boughs that will
exclude, in part, the sun and
wind.
Hemlocks. unless well supplied
with moisture. cannot take win
ter winds. They need shelter
from the wind and a deeply
mulched area to permit their
roots TO function during the win
ter.
Newly planted evergreens need
more protection than those that
have been established a year OF
more. This applies both to the
conifers and to the broadleaved
shrubs and trees.
Hollies suffer more winter burn
In exposed situations than most
gardeners think. Their natural