February Newsletter
A Warm
Winter Greeting
“A snowy path for squirrel and fox,
It winds between the wintry firs.
Snow-muffled are its iron rocks,
And o’er stillness nothing stirs.”
The Garden Life office is back in action! It’s hard not to be eager for longer, sun-filled days, but this time of year allows us to process and review last season while prepping for all the good to come in our upcoming one.
In 2022 we started our season with less crew than the previous year which became problematic from the start. For this season, we plan on amping up our crews. We are thankful we have a veteran crew returning for our new season and they’re coming in with experience in your gardens. In the office we have been going through notes and photos to plan for small projects as well as assess plant and overall garden health. We also submit soil samples collected last year to UNH Extension Program to evaluate soil health. In planning, annuals are on our minds and we’ve started to design and order them from our good friend Mike Garrity of Garden Works who custom grows them for us. We heard a lot of clients ask for bigger annuals from the get go, so we are working with Mike to make that happen!
In these winter months, we still have boots on the ground in the gardens. Woody trees and shrubs are dormant during this time, so we take the opportunity to prune out any dead or structurally problematic branches. This is better for the plants health, as fresh wounds on dormant plants are less susceptible to disease or fungus. Here’s how it goes:
We start by pruning out any dead, diseased or broken branches
Remove water sprouts and suckers. These are both forms of rapid growth which often lead to crossing or rubbing branches. Pruning these out allows the plant to focus energy into branches with better overall structure
Check for crossing branches and V-shaped junctions to prevent rubbing and possible breakage
Review overall structure, size and density of the plant. Often we prune to allow for more sunlight and airflow toward the inner part of plants which helps them stay green from the inside out
Sterilize pruners to prevent disease from spreading to other plants
As always we keep our eye out on our garden visits. When are out pruning, we are looking for any evidence of pests in the gardens- typically deer and voles. Deer have an appetite for many soft evergreens, especially supple new growth. If you notice damage or see deer in your gardens during the winter, we suggest hanging or shaving fragrant soaps around plants and beds.
And with that, we are off to a productive start for 2023, here’s to hoping you all are too! Please reach out if you have any questions or any garden dreams you’d like to bring to life this coming season.
Enjoy the snow while it’s still here!
The Garden Life Team
