Archive
December:
Recycle
Your Christmas Tree
Though it may give you the blues to take down your
holiday tree, you can find solace in recycling your tree in the landscape.
Winter birds will appreciate using the tree for cover in your backyard,
especially if you decorate it with bird food ornaments. Be sure to remove
tinsel, plastic and other non-recyclable ornaments.
Roadside
De-Icing Salts and Ornamental Plants
De-icing salts can save your neck this winter, but
they can spell disaster for landscape plants. Whether the salt is sprayed
on the plants from passing traffic near the road or is shoveled onto plants
near the sidewalk, the salt can cause damage.
Snow
Is Good News For Gardeners
Though your aching back may not agree, recent heavy
snows actually will be good for your garden. The blanket of snow will
provide good insulation from bitter cold temperatures, particularly in
light of the extended warm autumn weather that caused some perennials
to sprout new growth.
Harvest
Holiday Greenery from Your Landscape
Give your home the festive mood of the holidays by
bringing a bit of your landscape evergreens indoors. Wreaths, swags, garlands
and centerpieces can all be made from plants that are commonly found in
the home landscape.
Mistletoe
Mistletoe is the common name for shrubs in the Viscaceae
family, most of which are parasitic. The ancients considered the plants
to be mystical because mistletoe would suddenly appear in trees and did
not have roots. They did not realize that fruit-eating birds distributed
mistletoe seed by rubbing their beaks against the trees and via their
droppings.
Holiday Greens (PDF)
You can say "Happy Holidays" with evergreen decorations
you make yourself! Enhance your indoor or outdoor holiday decor or make
attractive gifts. Wreaths, swags, balls, garlands, and table arrangements
can all be made at home with a few simple materials and the following
tips.
Living
Christmas Trees for the Holidays and Beyond (PDF)
Living Christmas trees (roots and soil) are purchased for indoor enjoyment
during the holidays and for outdoor enjoyment as landscape trees when
the holidays are over. Purchasing a living tree and successfully establishing
it in the landscape can make holiday memories live on as the tree grows
each year. But success requires advanced planning and preparation.
Fall
Needle Drop of Pine
Every year in late summer and fall, the PPDL receives
several calls about conifers that appear to be dying. Clients complain
that the inner foliage of affected trees turns yellow then brown, followed
by the affected needles falling from the branches. There is no cause for
alarm, however – this is a condition called normal fall needle drop.
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Garden Flowers 
