• Sun to Part Sun
• Evergreen
• May feature yellow foliage
• Plant in fertile, well-drained soil and water regularly; wet feet (roots) and irregular watering will cause stress
• Deer resistant
• Attracts birds
• Good for containers
• Low maintenance; does not require much trimming

Landscape features include dense foliage with larger varieties suitable for screening, use as focal points and in container plantings. Dwarf varieties make good vertical accents for smaller gardens.

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Choose winter hardy plants for containers that offer interest all winter long!  The key is to choose evergreens, perennials, groundcovers and seasonal color that can last throughout our coldest temperatures in containers.  If you typically plant tropical plants in your containers, and aren’t sure about planting evergreens and perennials in them, just remember you can remove and plant these shrubs and perennials in your landscape next spring!

For evergreen height, consider yews, hollies, camellias, boxwoods, junipers, arborvitaes and Alberta spruce.  Surround evergreens with cabbage, carex, sweetflag, dusty miller, ajuga and English ivy for filler. Add Cool Wave pansies for cascades of blooming color!  For more fall and winter combination planter ideas, visit this blog post or our Finally Fall Pinterest board.

Try to plant winter pots this month (November) so the roots get established before the weather gets too cold.  For professional results, use the products that we professionals use!  Good Earth brand Professional Growing Mix and Jump Start plus Ferti-Lome Premium Bedding Plant Food for pots that contain pansies or other cool season bloomers.

Don’t forget to water your pots this winter.  Plants do not like to freeze dry; plant cells actually explode if they do, which causes visible and potentially deadly damage.  Winter watering is especially important for containers located under covered areas; these are only getting the water you give them since rain won’t reach them.

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In this blog post, we are going to talk through identifying and addressing winter damage on landscape plants.

Harden Off

Ideally, plants have a chance to ‘harden off’, which is what happens when temperatures gradually get cooler from fall into winter.  This process gets plants prepared to withstand the cold, windy winter weather.  However, for example, in November of 2019, we had low temperatures in the teens, skipping several temperature ranges.  This lack of gradual cooling meant that many plants weren’t hardened off and able to take this weather without sustaining damage.

Symptoms of Winter Damage

Gregg starts off by showing us a gardenia that has a brown section in it.  The leaves on this section are all brown and still on the plant.  He suggests leaving the plant alone for a bit longer to see if that section puts on new leaves this spring.  Some shrubs have several cuttings in each pot; and it could be that this section of the shrub had a weak cutting.  This weakness could have made the winter damage worse in that the cutting didn’t have the overall strength to handle the flash freeze we had in November.

Remember to check the plant again in a month or so and see if it has put on new growth.  If it hasn’t, cut this section of the plant out and let the remainder of the plant fill in.

The next plant that Gregg he discusses is an azalea.  This azalea is an evergreen azalea… but it’s lost about 90% of its foliage.  This is pretty common after an early flash freeze and most likely the plant will be fine.  One way to know how the plant is really doing is to scratch the surface bark off and check to see if there is green tissue under it.  There is on this plant and it should flush out with new growth when temperatures start warming up this spring.

Feeding Winter Damaged Plants

Next, Gregg and Jeff discuss fertilizers Cottonseed Meal and Good Earth brand Jump Start; these are wonderful natural fertilizers to help get the plant growing this spring.  You will want to apply this fertilizer when temperatures start warming up so that the nutrients are present when the plant breaks out of dormancy and starts putting on new growth.  Mid-March should be fine.  Later on in the growing season, you can also apply Ferti-Lome Start-N’-Grow.  You want to use Start-N’-Grow once the chance of frost is past and you want to encourage more top growth.

Last but not least, Gregg shows us winter damage on an Emerald Green Arborvitae.  The winter damage shows up as brown tips on the ends of branches.  He brushes through the foliage and shows that it will fall off and encourages the same fertilization method as mentioned above.

Now you know how to identify and address winter damage on landscape plants! Bottom line, usually winter damage doesn’t kill plants but it can set them back.  Knowing what to do this spring to get them started out right this season is key!

For more information, watch this video as well.

The post Protecting Shrubs from Winter Damage appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Do you live on a busy street or need to build in some privacy around your home and outdoor living space? Then you may want to consider planting a living fence, or privacy fence. The benefits of a privacy screen include blocking strong winds, limiting street noise, and defining spaces in addition to masking unsightly views. Read on for more information about screening plants for Arkansas landscapes.

Before you choose a screening plant, take a few moments to consider the following aspects of a privacy screen. These will help you choose the right plant for your space.

• Available space. Measure the area you can plant in and decide how tall you need your screen to be to block the unwanted view.
• Is your landscape formal or informal? Do you need a plant that’s neat and tidy, or will your yard accommodate a more natural, relaxed look?
• Evergreen or deciduous. Evergreen plants provide a year-round screen, whereas deciduous options offer more flowers and colors.
• Function in the overall landscape. Will your screen be an integral part of the look of the yard, or is it far from your windows? Does it provide a backdrop to a central flowerbed, or fade in the distance? This will affect the look of the plant you ultimately choose.

After you’ve determined the answers to the above questions, it’s time to choose your screening plant(s)! We have some recommendations below.

If you’re looking for year-round privacy, you have many evergreen screening plant options. A number of hollies, such as the Foster, Burford and Nellie Stevens Hollies, make for great screens. Green Giant Arborvitaes lend a stately presence to landscapes, and grow up to 3 feet each year! If you need a fast-growing screen, eleagnus is a great option with unique silvery green foliage. You can also consider Little Gem Magnolias, Japanese cleyera, sweet olive, large growing loropetalums, waxleaf privet and cryptomeria. Finally, don’t forget podocarpus, camellias and large growing azaleas if you have a shady area that needs some filling in!

Curious about what flowering or colorful options you might have in the deciduous screening plant department? Variegated privets have delicate, fragrant flowers and grow well in a variety of soil conditions. Viburnums come in a number of varieties and have showy flowers, require little maintenance, and tolerate shady environments. Also look into Rose of Sharon, crapemyrtles or vitex if you are would like summer blooms. Forsythia and large spireas such as Bridal Wreath work well if spring flowers are your favorite. If you’re looking for fall color, a burning bush will show off its red flair nicely in your yard.

Some folks may need screens for narrow spaces. In this case, consider installing a trellis and growing vines! From trumpet vine to chocolate vine, you have lots of options for flowers. If you’re hoping for color year-round, look into evergreen clematis or English ivy. Finally, depending on your interest in performing maintenance on your screen, you may find that a shrub mentioned above could be kept in check in your smaller space with regular pruning. Emerald Green Arborvitaes (pictured above) are another narrow screening option. The have a mature size of 3 to 4 feet wide and about 15 feet tall.

As always, come out and see us at The Good Earth Garden Center if you have questions about screening plants for Arkansas landscapes. We’re happy to talk through the specifics of your situation and help you pick a plant that will be successful in your landscape!  A visit to our inventory might be helpful too; check out the plant descriptions in the screening plants category.

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