Wilt proof for winter protection

It's a bit warmer this weekend, so late season garden chores go to the top of the list. This weekend is also when the Phactors traditionally purchase a nice fir tree for holiday decorating. The reason for this is simple; the trees have been harvested and won't get any fresher. While it isn't time to set up the tree inside, the tree is set in a bucket of water in our garage. If the weather accomodates, i.e., it isn't really cold, it gets sprayed with wilt proof. The commerical product is a waxy substance that makes a coating that slows down transpiration, water loss, and with a cut tree, it reduces needle drop, or at least slows it down. TPP has been asked a number of times if it's worth it to spray your broad-leafed evergreen shrubs because wilt proof (the commerical produce isn't spelled this way) is kind of pricy. In theory it works the same way; the coating slows water loss during the winter when it's hard or nearly impossible for plants to replace the water loss, so leaves dry out and die. TPP doesn't know the answer. Here in the upper midwest, broad-leafed evergreen shrubs seem to have a tough time; "winter kill" is pretty common among certain plants, e.g., rhododendrons. Of course, members of the heath family, the Ericaceae, hate our heavy, basic soils, so raising some of them is a fool's errand anyways. But back to the basic question. Is it worth it? If your evergreen shrubs have been doing OK over the winter, then it probably isn't worth it. But if you've been buying replacement shrubs, then it might be worth spraying them as insurance. Probably your best bet is to work on soil improvement so that the shrubs develop a robust root system. TPP will admit that he sprays his broad-leafed evergreen shrubs because they seem to suffer less damage over the winter. This falls short of an enthusiastic endorsement. It does increase the longevity of cut trees by reducing needle fall, but curiously, TPP doesn't know of any tree sellers that offer a spraying as an option (unless it's some hideous flocking). Spraying won't do you any good if you don't also protect your shrubs from hungry bunnies who turn into bark browsers if other food gets hard to come by.

Friday Fabulous Flower - Rhododendron

Friday was one of those days when you set out to do too many things, and for reasons too difficult to explain, not to mention what some would call misplaced priorities, but still the Phactor will apologize for not posting a fabulous flower on Friday. The Rhododendron-Azalea season comes to an end in mid-June with the flowering of this Rhododendron, a big, old-fashioned plant that was well established on the property when we acquired the two. It tends to lean up against the chimney, and at 8-9 feet it dominates the back of this garden. The particular variety is uncertain (anyone?), but it has a wonderful quality largely lacking in most of the short, common varieties, although many gardens are too small, or too well kept, to deal with its size and more open branching habit. In particular this shrub is a welcome addition to the early summer garden by flowering well after all of the other Rhododendron/Azaleas. Now if only the laural oak under which it grows would stop dropping branches on it in fits of jealosy.

Why does this oak dislike rhododendrons?

Some animosities in the botanical world make perfect sense. Tomatoes and their relatives hate growing in the vicinity of walnuts because of the juglone, but why does my shingle oak so despise the rhododendrons that grow in its shade and benefit so greatly from its accumulated leaf litter? Because of the clay content and high pH, not to mention frigid temperatures, late summer droughts, and desiccating winter winds, rhododendrons and similar semi-soft, acid-loving plants are difficult to grow here in Lincolnland, and having found a near ideal protected setting for a rhododendron bed beneath a large oak at the east end of the house, our spring display of azaleas and rhododendrons is about as good as it gets in this area. So why does this oak drop a constant barrage of limbs upon the defenseless shrubs below? Is it floral display envy? They can hardly be a worthy competitor, and yet every year one or more of the rhododendrons will get maimed, mauled, or crushed by oak limbs. Maybe this oak just has a mean dark streak deep in its heartwood, and having already had a near miss myself, the Phactor suggests that you admire the rhododendrons from a safe distance just beyond the spread of this oak's crown.