I’m talking about spring bulbs—your most reliable source of early blooms. Most spring bulbs are planted in early fall.

Check out some of my favorites—anemone (windflower), blue scilla, chinodoxa (glory of the snow), crocus, tarda tulips, trout lily, trillium, and winter aconite (wolf’s bane), among others—and make a note of what you want to plant this fall for early color NEXT spring.

Bamboo hedge showing snow damage

This winter has been the worst in recent memory for the amount of snow that has lain on branches of trees and shrubs for a considerable length of time. This can have a devastating effect on the health and look of a plant.

Evergreens are particularly susceptible to breaking given the amount of foliar surface they retain in the winter that can collect snow. Ones with relatively weak branches, such as white pine, can sustain major breakage, and ones that provide important visual screens, such as arborvitae hedges, can be flattened.

Arb hedge showing snow damage

We recommend not only knocking the snow off the branches as often as possible, but also, such as in the case of arb hedges, securing the branches or trunks with wire. The tops of arb hedges can also be tapered to shed snow, as another preventive measure.

Parkside Orchid Nursery (http://www.parksideorchids.com/), located less than an hour away from the LehighValley, near Lake Nockamixon, has not only several greenhouses full of orchids to drool over but also how-to-books, pots, materials, and an expert staff to guide you according to your level of experience, interest, and wallet size—I believe they have the best quality and prices. They offer a free Saturday class and a first repotting of an orchid you buy there.

Speaking of orchids, Longwood Gardens—one of the best winter getaway garden spots—is having its Orchid Extravaganza until March 31. Visit http://www.longwoodgardens.org/ to get the details. The bonsai exhibit gives me an itchy pruning finger for the season to come.

Terrain at Styers (http://www.terrainathome.com/) gets my vote as the most innovative garden center around! Located outside of Wilmington, just off Rte. 202, it’s a little more of a drive, but well worth the time. Their supply of plants and containers is phenomenal and was just what I needed to create a new terrarium, dish garden, and a few other indoor plantings.

During the cold days of winter, the leaf pores on your plants are closed to conserve the water that cannot be replaced until the ground thaws. However, if the sunlight on a cold winter day is intense enough, the leaf pores open, allowing the stored moisture to escape (called transpiration) out of the leaf. The leaf dries out―a process commonly known as winter burn.

To help prevent this, an anti-desiccant such as Wilt Pruf can be applied to the foliage in late fall. This provides a waxy coating that prevents water loss from the leaves.

We also recommend that you thoroughly water any plants that you have concerns about later in fall in order to have them well hydrated prior to sealing off the leaf pores with the anti-desiccant.

At this time of year, many people are planting trees in their yard. Achieving the proper depth for that planting is crucial to the long-term health of the tree.

Every tree has a flare in its trunk in the area known as the root collar. This root collar should be visible at ground level when the tree is planted. If the trunk looks like a telephone pole entering the ground, it is planted too deep–the root flare is underground. Your tree risks having the bark rot at a prime spot for entrance of insect pests as well as the development of girdling roots (to be discussed later). These factors do not have an immediate, obvious negative effect but they will stress the tree and possibly kill it a few years down the road.

Therefore, locate the root collar flare and plant the tree at that depth. Mulch the planting area, being careful not to get mulch against the trunk. Water the root zone thoroughly (more on watering in our next blog).

After

Before

This side garden, visible from the deck above, was colorless and exposed to the neighbor’s yard. The river birch anchors the corner of the building, hides the utilities, and provides shade and screening from the neighbor. We created a second tier to the bed with a small stonewall, planted perennials for seasonal color, and made a stone pathway to access an irrigation control.

After

Before

This courtyard area leading to a pool was tailor-made for an outdoor room. The “walls” are created by the building, a flagstone patio is the “floor,” and the cedar pergola becomes the “ceiling.” The vines growing on the pergola provide shade as well as color and a softening effect. The surrounding plantings complete the room decor.

The front yard of this beautiful stone home needed an overhaul to measure up to the grandeur of the house. Working with the owners over time, we installed foundation plants that were appropriate to the scale of the house and added color. We created two stonewalls and some island beds in the open front lawn and replaced the front walkway with flagstone that matched the stone of the house.