A simple Pergola

I understand that not everyone likes to work out in the yard.  That is why people make money in the lawn care and landscaping industry.  There is nothing to be ashamed of if you are one of those people that like staying inside and working on the computer, or playing on Facebook or Twitter, and watching a movie now and again!

I was thinking yesterday, what are some good projects that can be done in your yard while the weather is less than perfect, and I came up with a few ideas.  Now remember, I am in Nashville, and to make you people in the northern states jealous, our ground never completely freezes.  We might have a week, maybe two that the temperature stays below 32 degrees, but that is very rare.  So, this may not work if you have snow on the ground for months at a time!

If you are a wood worker, building an arbor or a pergola around a patio or garden entrance could really set off an area.  They are really easy to build and can be relatively inexpensive.

If you like playing with blocks, building a retaining wall or laying a paver patio would be great fun during the winter.  Doing this kind of work in temperatures below 60 degrees makes for a much more enjoyable experience.  Remember though, lift with your legs, not your back!

If you have a bush or small tree that is in the wrong place, you can save money and transplant it.  Of course, some plants are more sensitive than others, but when transplanting during the winter, the chance of survival goes up 10 fold.  Make sure and keep as much dirt intact around the root ball as possible during transport.

Trimming up a Bradford Pear tree is critically important to do during its dormant season.  This can be done by just about anyone, as long as you have a place to put the branches.  Go up about 10 foot and start cutting.  Keep the tree round in shape and clean out all the little branches inside the tree.  You will be amazed at how pretty the tree becomes in the spring.  The second year you will not even know it had been pruned.

Mulching your flower beds in the winter is optional, but it will cut down on many weeds and is much easier to do in the cooler weather.  When you do your house in the winter, it looks so much better than your neighbors old ratty looking mulch they put down a year ago!

I could go on, but will save some projects for another blog.  If you need any help with any project, please feel free to ask me.

Happy Projects

A good Hard Fost

This morning here in Nashville the weather man keeps talking about a “Hard Freeze”, and saying “It is the end of the growing season.”  What does that mean, the end of the growing season?  All of the leaves are off the trees already!

It is very simple.  A hard freeze is one that gets cold enough and the frost covers all of the ground to tell the plants it is winter and they need to go into hibernation.  At the point, the warm season grass, i.e. Bermuda, will no longer grow.  It will finish turning brown.  The cool season grasses, i.e. Fescue, will slow down and wait to see what the weather does next.

Plants like evergreen shrubs will stop trying to grow and just sit real pretty for the winter.  Any deciduous shrub, (which means the ones that loose their leaves), will finish loosing all their leaves and bud out for the spring.  Here in Nashville, the ground never fully freezes, so the plants are concentrating on developing a strong root system.

Any perennial plant, like Daylilies, Hosta, Blackeyed Susan, etc. will turn completely brown now and collapse their foliage to the ground.  It is ok to cut off all the foliage above ground and leave the roots for next year.  They put off new plants from the root system in the spring.

And Finally, any seasonal plant that has survived til now, i.e. petunias, begonias, salvia, boston ferns, etc. will now be brown as they can be and can be pulled up by the roots and thrown away.  They will not come back no matter what you do.  Yes, I have seen some vinca come back from seed the next year, but not this years plant!!

So, the news is right, “The end of the growing season!”  You can plant pansies for winter color, and Knockout roses will keep blooming until we get several good hard frost, but that is about it until spring.

Happy Frost