Annual Christmas Tree Recycling - January 9th

The Environmental and Conservation Organization (ECO) is coordinating their annual tree recycling event in conjunction with Henderson County Parks and Recreation. Residents are encouraged to drop off their trees at Field 6 in Jackson Park. Hendersonville city residents may leave their trees at curbside, where they will be gathered and included in the recycling project.

Be sure to remove all lights and decorations before dropping your trees at the park. No wreaths, balled trees or greenery with wire will be accepted. Christmas trees will be chipped to make mulch on Jan. 9 at Jackson Park. Mulch created from the chipping will be given away free of charge, so bring a bag if you’re interested in taking some home.

Call the ECO office at 692-0385 for more information.

Let it Snow, let it snow, let it snow......

As I write this post, there is 14" of snow in my front yard and the snow is still falling. I just love the snow but my plants can be damaged by severe winter weather. The large Southern Magnolia in my front yard has already had three limbs broken and the heavy, wet snow could do more damage before its all over. The boxwoods just in front of my house also look awful.
While it's true that heavy, wet snows and ice often cause broken branches, snow itself will not hurt landscape plants. In fact, the opposite is true. Snow is a very good insulator against chilling temperatures that may injure plants.
If you are concerned about injury to your favorite plants from the settling snow, protect them by scooping the snow away from the plant. Then, with gloved hands, carefully remove the snow from the branches. Natural snowfall or windblown snow seldom result in plant injury. It's usually the devices we use to remove snow that cause the most damage.
If snow is dumped on plants, it may be better to leave it than to try to remove it to prevent further breakage of the branches. If you do have branches break out of trees and shrubs, be sure to prune the broken limbs as soon as possible after the storm has passed.
For more information, call your local extension agent.

Heather Loves our Acidic Soils

Heather generally refers to a group of evergreen plants in the Ericaceae family, most often: Calluna (Scotch heather or ling), Erica (heath) and Daboecia (Irish Heath). While not native to North America, many heathers are well suited to our mountains of western North Carolina.

Many gardeners do not think about the versatility of heathers. They are evergreen, with delicate foliage, woody stems, and small long lasting flowers. Some individuals find these plants to be finicky, but once established they should be long-lived. All heathers do well in acidic soil amended with with organic matter.

Calluna vulgaris, is the true heather and perhaps the hardiest and most varied - from small tufts to spreading ‘carpeters’ and upright shrubs. Flowers in white and every shade of pink, mauve, lavender and red last for 6-8 weeks beginning late summer/early fall. Foliage is scaly, rather than needle-like and often changes to spectacular shades of yellow, orange, gold, bronze and red during the colder months. Callunas must have full sun, acid soil and good drainage. They must not be allowed to dry out their first year, but after that are drought tolerant. Hardy to zone 4 or 5.

Only a handful of the 800 species of Erica are commonly cultivated. The two easiest to grow also happen to be the two winter-bloomers:

Erica carnea or winter heath is a low, fast-growing and spreading plant with needle-like leaves and bell-shaped flowers. Its foliage is not as colorful as the Callunas’. Flowers in shades from white to pink, red, magenta, mauve appear in early to mid-winter and last well into spring. New spring growth often is a lovely contrasting color. Foliage is yellow green to very deep green. Tolerates more shade and more soil types than other heathers.

Erica x darleyensis is another very easy-to-grow species, quite similar to E. carnea, but taller and bushier. Most varieties have pink or cream tips in spring and bronze or dark green foliage. Buds form in late summer or very early fall, and some cultivars begin to bloom as early as late September, lasting into mid-spring. Flowers open pale and deepen as the season progresses. These plants should survive in zone 6 with some protection.

Heathers would be a good addition to any perennial border, rock garden, or as an accent plant with conifers. See website below for more information.

Parts taken from honeybeesandheather.com

Deicers

As the snow begins to fall outside my office I’m reminded that this is the time of year that I begin to get calls concerning ice-melts or deicers. Slick driveways and sidewalks can be a safety hazard and chipping and shoveling snow is more work than many of us want to undertake. Those looking for an easier method of removing ice and snow often resort to the use of de-icing compounds. While these products are effective, they should be used with caution. Many of these products contain salts which can be harmful to plants.

There are about five major products used as de-icers. These include calcium chloride, sodium chloride (salt), potassium chloride, urea (a fertilizer), and calcium magnesium acetate. Each of these materials varies in their effectiveness and temperature range. Be sure to follow label instructions on any de-icing materials.

Limited use of any of these products should cause little plant injury but problems can occur when they are used excessively and there is not adequate rainfall to wash or leach the material from the area. Since limited use is recommended, it is best to remove the ice and snow by hand when possible. When chemicals are applied, practice moderation. We are often prone to over- applying just to make sure the ice and snow melt. Keep in mind this can damage concrete surfaces as well as the plants and grass growing along the walks and driveways. These problems are normally latent and will not show up until spring or summer.

For additional information on any of the materials listed, call your local extension agent.

Beware of De-icers

In WNC for the past few years, we have had minimal snowfall and ice. However, knowing how to properly get rid of snow and ice when we are faced with it, will help gardeners prevent permanent damage to plants.

Sodium chloride or rock salt has been used since the 1940’s as a common deicer that can burn plants and corrode metal and concrete. If you must use salt, use it judiciously, and erect barriers with plastic fencing, burlap or snow fencing to protect sensitive plants and minimize contact with salt. We can also reduce salt damage by mixing salt with sand and/or removing snow before salting.

When possible, use de-icing agents with calcium chloride, or calcium magnesium acetate (CMA), a salt-free melting agent made from limestone and acetic acid. You may also have some success with using cat litter or sawdust to create traction on sidewalks.

Do not pile snow containing salt around plants and trees or put it where runoff will flow over root zones. Plants placed near roadways and sidewalks should be salt tolerant. Many plants can recover from occasional salt spray. If it is a yearly occurrence however, death of the plant may result. See your local Extension office for salt tolerant plants recommended for your area.

Symptoms of salt injury can include desiccation, stunting, and branch dieback or plants. If salt buildup occurs, water liberally before spring growth by applying 2" of water over a 2-3 hour period and repeating this a few days later to "flush" the sodium from the soil.

Strawberry Crop Survives

I recently received an email from Barclay Poling, Extension Specialist with NCSU. He wanted everyone to know that the strawberry crop not only survived the Easter freeze but it is an excellent crop. Please read his announcement for the latest update.

Sprinkler Irrigation and Row Covers Pull Strawberry Crop Through Easter Freeze - Farms are Now Open -- Pull Out Your Shortcake Recipe!

Barclay Poling, Small Fruit Extension Specialist (NCSU)

Monster Freeze.
On the Tuesday before Easter (April 3), I got my first glimpse from a National Weather Sevice advisory of a "monster freeze" headed towards North Carolina on Easter Weekend. The strawberry crop had been on such a wonderful track in March and early April. Everything was falling into place for a great season, including the potential for our earliest opening ever on Easter weekend. But, as everyone now knows, Easter weekend was dreadfully cold, and the state's fruit growers, including the strawberry producers, were confronted with the prospect of losing everything. The Easter weekend arctic freeze had temperatures in the teens and low 20s, as well as unbelievable winds gusting in excess of 25 mph. The North Carolina apples and peach industries were some of the hardest hit, and hardly a flower bud survived.

The outcome for NC’s strawberry growers was fortunately much better.
We prayed a lot, drank gallons of coffee to stay up for 5 straight nights of frost protection starting on Good Friday, and also used a relatively new technology that involves the use of spunbonded polypropylene row covers which look like a huge white blanket. These lightweight "blankets" literally float on top of the entire crop and help insulate and protect the berry plants from freezing temperatures. Row covers can be used to protect low-growing crops like strawberries and vegetable transplants, but sadly not grapes, fruit trees and blueberries.

Cold protection technologies save NC Strawberry Crop.
The use of these technologies that are specifically designed for low-growing crops helped the state’s strawberry growers preserve almost all of the crop; with the exception of some areas of the mountains where it was brutally cold – some areas got down to 10 F on Easter morning! But the overall outlook for the 2007 strawberry crop in North Carolina is excellent! Growers across eastern NC, the sandhills and piedmont are NOW open to the public for picking. Don’t miss out on picking some extra yummy NC strawberries this spring, and be sure to pull out your shortcake recipe!

North Carolina Strawberry Information

Dealing with cold injury in our gardens

As far as assessing the damage from what happened last week, only time will tell? I know that many of the perennials (daylilies, sedum, hostas, etc.) in my own yard had already begun to put out new growth. And yes, this growth was probably quite tender.

You may have tried to cover plants with sheets, overturned plastic pots, or a thick layer of pine straw. This works well by holding some of the heat that builds up in the soil, and also insulating against cold winds. Some damage may still occur, but less than you would have otherwise.

For those plants that were exposed, scout around over the next couple of weeks to look for damage. Freeze damage on woody plants is usually seen as leaf browning and then leaf drop, or a blackening of a portion of the stem. Perennials show leaves that are droopy and seem to be almost white. I believe most of our perennials that were damaged will resprout with new leaves.

Regardless of the symptoms of freeze damage, all pruning of affected parts of woody plants should be delayed until after the danger of frost is past. Not only is there increased risk of infection when pruning before then, but the old plant material provides protection to areas lower on the plant which may not have been affected. When pruning freeze damage from a plant, prune back to healthy tissue.