Fruit trees and fruit shrubs

Frost Cracks

We now know how to care for evergreens in the winter to prevent needle kill. What about trees that lose their leaves? If there are winter thaws during January and February, this can cause frost cracks going down the trunk especially on newly planted trees and thin bark trees like red maples.

Frost cracks are caused by the sap beneath the bark to thaw and rapidly freeze again went the night temps fall. The moisture in the sap will explode causing a vertical crack going down the trunk. If you are close at the right time, you can hear the exploding crack. In the spring when the tree leaves out, this crack can cause a problem with the health of the tree.

Prevention is the main step in preventing this condition. Start by placing a mulch down after the ground freezes to prevent the soil from warming up in mid-winter. By not mulching until the ground freezes also prevents rodents seeking out the mulch as a home.

As the trees get mature and the bark thickens and the branches grow and start to shade the trunk, frost cracking becomes less of a problem. Especially for young trees like fruit trees and maples, wrap the trunk with paper or plastic spiral wrap (this is reusable year after year).

Roses

Heirloom Rose

When looking for roses in next year’s garden, try an heirloom rose. These are older roses (many shrub roses) which the hybrid teas replaced in the last 30 years for their long blooming time. However, many of the older roses have a hardiness and disease resistance that can not be beaten. They also have odd colors that stand out and an old history of the family they are in.

I remember my Grandmother was in a rose club in Winner. Her house on Polk Street was surrounded by roses and climbing roses many I assume are now heirloom roses and never had a problem with winter kill.

For instance, the Apothecary’s rose is the oldest cultivated rose going back to the Crusades. The red color symbolizes the blood of the Christian martyrs. The petals were dried and rolled in beads which became the rosary.

Apothecary’s Rose

Damask roses are an old variety of highly fragrant roses, usually pinkish in colors, used for fragrance in early French perfumes. A true shrub rose with double flowers.

Damask Rose

La France rose is noted as being the first developed hybrid tea rose. Hybrid teas have a big single flower on each branch.

La France Rose

There are some nurseries online that specialize in heirloom roses.

Garden almanac

Fall Tilling

Fall tilling in the garden and annual flowerbed is the best time. When you are ready to plant in April with the early spring crops the soil is ready with reduced weed interference.

In the fall the soil is dryer and will compact less. Add organic matter to be dug down like peat moss, compost, or rotting straw, hay, alfalfa matter. These materials will decompose over the winter helping build stronger plant roots in the spring.

Tilled soil also helps control disease and weeds. Also, the garden will catch snow improving soil moisture for the spring.

You should not till more than once a year because it breaks down the soil particles too much especially for clay soils. Many gardeners now plant using the built-up method (no-till) walking only on walkways. Just make sure you remove any disease plants or weeds from the garden.