Gardening With Tony

Coppiced Vegetation Regenerates With Vigor

coppiced
UNITED STATES—Winter dormancy has advantages. It facilitates acquisition and establishment of bare root stock, and winter dormant pruning. Coppicing and pollarding are the most severe sorts of winter dormant pruning. Although initially ugly, coppiced and pollarded vegetation mostly grow vigorously later. Most species bloom and fruit better. All species foliate more lushly. There is certainly nothing wrong with proper coppicing...

Winter Pruning Deciduous Fruit Trees

winter pruning
  UNITED STATES—Bare root season is synchronous with winter for one simple reason. Winter is when bare root stock is dormant. Dormancy similarly justifies winter pruning of deciduous fruit trees. It functions like anesthesia for surgery. While dormant, deciduous fruit trees are unaware of relocation or pruning. They resume growth for spring as if nothing stressful happened. Winter pruning, or dormant...

Potted Christmas Trees Grow Up

potted Christmas trees
UNITED STATES—There should be no stigma associated with cut Christmas trees. They grow on farms, not within natural ecosystems, as some believe. Like cut foliage, cut flowers and vegetables, they are an agricultural commodity. They generate no more green waste than an average lawn. Yet, potted Christmas trees are popular as an 'environmentally responsible' option. Potted Christmas trees, however, can...

Bare Root Season Is Winter

bare root season
UNITED STATES—Gardening is dynamic. It must adapt as each season becomes the next. Autumn became winter. Then, suddenly, the Christmas Season became bare root season. Cut Christmas trees that did not sell became green waste. Formerly expensive live Christmas trees that did not sell became bargains. They must relinquish their spaces for fresh bare root stock. The chronology could not...

Winter Flowers Bloom In Season

winter flowers
UNITED STATES—Evergreen foliage and colorful berries might be more prominent than flowers about now. They should be. Evergreen foliage is, as implied, evergreen. Colorful berries need to be appealing to wildlife that disperses their seed through winter. Not so many winter flowers bloom, though. Most flowers want their bloom season to be favorable for their pollinators. Flowers that do not...

Foliage Surpasses Flowers For Christmas

foliage
UNITED STATES—Winter bloom might be limited. Wintry berries, dried flowers and the remains of summery bloom can be more abundant. Evergreen foliage is as abundant as it always is. After all, it is evergreen. That is most likely why it is so popular for home decor through Christmas. It is the primary component of wreaths and garlands, and, technically,...

Frosty Weather Can Limit Gardening

frosty
UNITED STATES—Even here, climate is not perfect. It may sometimes seem to be too warm during summer. However, it might not be consistently warm and humid enough for some tropical species. Winter chill may be inadequate to vernalize some species or certain cultivars of species. However, recently frosty weather has already damaged some vegetation in some areas. Frost limits what...

Precipitation Should Continue Through Winter

precipitation
UNITED STATES—Deciduous foliage gets colorful with autumn chill. Then, it gets messy. Then, with a bit of precipitation, it gets even messier! It seems like a waste as it all succumbs to rain and, in other climates, snow. It is sensible, though. Deciduous vegetation will be less vulnerable to stormy weather without it. Weather will be getting increasingly stormy...

Wintry Berries Are Already Colorful

wintry berries
UNITED STATES—Seed of most vegetation here finishes developing by late autumn to be ready for winter. It wants to germinate while soil is damp, and before it gets dry after spring. Some needs to vernalize with a bit of chill to be ready to germinate prior to spring. Some offers incentive to birds or other wildlife to disperse it....

Dried Flowers Were Formerly Fresh

dried flowers
UNITED STATES—All sorts of flowers bloom through autumn as well as winter. Honeysuckle still exudes its richly sweet summery fragrance. Honestly though, most flowers bloom for spring or early summer. They finished a while ago, and are now going to seed. Even flowers that bloom repeatedly do so less now. This is when floral design can get creative with...
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