Maximum Yield USA December 2021/January 2022 | Page 10

Our foliar friends need a little bit of help to get through the cold months , especially when a deep freeze sets in .”
from the EDITOR
TG Toby Gorman

It ’ s winter , and for many of us that means hunkering down indoors as the harsh northern wind whips the snow and ice across the bleak landscape . It ’ s a time of dormancy and stark beauty . I ’ ve always marveled at the natural world in winter . Trees and other plants stand stoically in the freezing temperatures , their leaves long gone and their limbs creaking at every movement . Their metabolism , energy consumption , and growth all slow to a crawl as water and sunlight become scarce . They continue to live , though , as their xylem moves water and nutrients upward from the roots to its leaves , while the phloem moves sugars down from the tree to the rest of its parts . Like the rest of us , they wait patiently for the sun to come back around and radiate that glorious springtime warmth , signaling another season of growth and productivity . Having planted a number of young plants on our property this summer , though , sometimes our foliar friends need a little bit of help to get through the cold months , especially when a deep freeze sets in . To improve their success , my wife and I create a coldweather protection plan . Some organic mulch here to help enhance the soil around a young plant , some burlap wrap on tender tree trunks ( lilacs this year ) there . For the lavender and hydrangea , they get a covered dome to protect them from the wicked northwesterlies that rip between the houses . The begonias get re-potted or grafted and taken indoors .

Once all the mitigation work is done , like worried parents , we hope it was enough to see the vulnerable plants through to spring . In the meantime , we endure the dark and cold from the warmth of our living room , looking out to the garden from time to time marveling at their strength and the freezing environment these little plants have to endure .
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