Some ornamental shrubs and trees tolerate cold well, but many of them, especially in cold regions, still need protection for the winter period.
Plants in need of shelter
Such plants include: rhododendrons, magonia, roses, certain types and varieties of hydrangeas, barberry, euonymus, some types of honeysuckle, viburnum, boxwood, broom, giant fennel and others.
Work in front of the shelter
It is important to know that most plants in winter suffer not only from frost, but also from a lack of moisture in the soil. After all, they continue to evaporate it from their foliage, but they cannot take it from the frozen soil. This is especially true for conifers. Therefore, in the autumn period, before the onset of frost, it is necessary to conduct good watering of the soil so that the plants can be saturated with water.
You need to be very careful about the preparation of roses for the winter. To do this, from mid-October to early November, plants are cut off, leaving shoots about 0.5 meters high. If climbing roses grow on your site. They are not pruned before winter, because they bloom on various branches (annual and perennial), they need a haircut to correct their shape in the spring. By winter, it is important to bend the stems, press them to the ground and secure them with brackets or hairpins, and only then cover them with spruce branches or sawdust. Do not cut the roses too early, sometimes it is late autumn, which with warm weather will provoke the awakening of the buds and the growth of new shoots and foliage, which will subsequently adversely affect the wintering of plants.
After you cut the roses, you need to cover their roots with sand or sawdust around the bush to a height of 15 cm.
Terms of installation and removal of the winter shelter
Plants need to be covered only when stable frosts come and the top layer of the soil begins to freeze. This occurs at frosts of -5 ... -7 ° C, which persist for several days.
Hedge cover options
The main rule that any gardener must adhere to is that the covering material must allow enough air to pass through and be dry.
Foliage fallen in autumn is a wonderful material for sheltering perennials; you just need to move it under the roots of plants. So it will be beneficial, and if left in its place, it can lead to the fact that the lawn will suffocate. This type of shelter is great for frost protection.
Some plants are covered with agrospan or burlap, then tied with a rope so that there are no gaps in the fabric. And for the stability of the structure, wooden stakes are stuck around the trunk, this is done so that the whole structure does not fall under the weight of adhered snow. This is how the camellia and ornamental bushes are covered.
Good for sheltering plants for the period of cold weather and spruce branches, it is laid on a frame previously built around the plant and tied with ropes so that the structure is preserved for the whole winter. They can also cover the roots and the near-stem circle of bushes and trees, which will protect the soil from severe freezing and protect the plants from death.
There are a large number of nonwoven covering materials on the market today, such as spunbond and lutraxil. Not all gardeners speak positively about them, the fact is that they often lead to overheating of bushes and trees. In addition, when covering plants with modern tissues, it is worth paying attention so that they do not touch the leaves or needles, since it is here that they will overheat and damage. The foliage begins to rot, turn yellow and burns appear. In addition, such a shelter should not reach the surface of the earth in order to provide an influx of fresh air. To minimize negative phenomena, you must first cover the plant with newspapers or paper, and throw a modern non-woven material on top.
Some gardeners cover the plants with large cardboard boxes.They retain heat, but at the same time there is a lot of air under them and they hold back the onslaught of snow.
Very good with the function of sheltering bushes and trees, snow copes. You can install special boards made of boards that will prevent it from being blown off the plants, or even better - pour more snow yourself on your plantings several times during the winter.
Plants with roots close to the soil surface are most likely to suffer from water shortages. These are, for example, rhododendrons. It is worth covering them with sawdust, fallen leaves or spruce branches.
Evergreen plantations in winter are very often affected by the bright sun, which leads to burns and yellowing of the needles. For them, special frames are made with stretched burlap or other material. It is quite simple to make them yourself: between the wooden slats, they simply pull the fabric, securing it, and then they stand like a hut over the plant. It is important to ensure that the walls of the improvised hut do not come into contact with the needles. It is worth remembering that all conifers (spruce, fir, pine and others) need to be covered even in adulthood, because their needles are very sensitive to temperature extremes and the bright spring sun.
To hide the alpine slides, do the following: sticks of wood or metal into the ground along the perimeter, and cover them with a cloth from above.
It is better to make shelters in a conical shape, this will not allow the accumulation of excess snow, which, with its weight, will push the fabric and all efforts to cover and preserve their plantings will come to naught.
For low hedges and curbs, it is worth creating a tunnel from arcs for a greenhouse or making it yourself from wooden slats, and covering it with burlap or any modern material for shelter on top.
Which method of shelter to prefer is the choice of every gardener, but it is important to follow the recommendations in order to rejoice in a dense and beautiful hedge in the spring, and not to engage in planting and its formation again.
