Super Fitness Health BlogBold And Beautiful Home Decor For Holidays
Wood ashes are the by-products of those enjoyable, long winter evenings when we toast our shins in front of a glowing open fire. They are an excellent source of potassium and lime. Wood ashes are an old standard recommendation for delphiniums. Other perennials such as phlox, sweet Williams, peonies and the spring flowering bulbs need a sweet soil and ample potash, and therefore, will benefit from applications of wood ashes.
Most vegetables, lilacs, the lawn and annual flowers would like to have some of the wood ashes handy. Of course, the total winter’s accumulation is not so bulky but that it is easy to dispose of. To avoid the loss of plant food, which will occur if the ashes are spread during the winter, store the wood ashes in old tubs or other containers in a dry place in order that application may be made at garden-making time.
Paper-white narcissus, hyacinths and Chinese sacred lilies may still be forced in bowls of water for blooming in the house.
The planting of shrubs, evergreens and trees may be continued as long as weather conditions permit. Shrubs with bare roots should not be handled on days when the temperature is below freezing. It is usually best to stop the planting of small evergreens of foundation planting size at least a week or two before cold weather arrives. Trees, large shrubs and large evergreens may be planted during cold weather when they can be handled with frozen balls of earth. Trees can be handled without the cost of burlapping if they are dug, the balls of earth allowed to freeze and the planting done before thawing weather arrives. There will also be less chance of damaging lawns if the work is done at that time.
Continue to water the evergreens if the weather is mild.
This is a good time to mulch and fertilize the shrubbery border with a generous covering of barnyard manure. The fresher the manure the better, since it soon loses valuable food elements when exposed to the weather. Cow manure is usually available at the stock yards or dairies. Call your nurseryman for the names of persons who will do the hauling for you.
If snow is heavy, be sure to check your fruit and flowering trees frequently to make sure you have wrapped them high enough to prevent rabbits from feeding on the tender bark. It may be necessary to wrap the lower branches and main stem a couple of feet above the accumulated snow.
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