1982 



WINTER PROTECTION 



other vines placed thickly over them; or if in an open 

 exposed situation, they may be wrapped in straw. Fig. 

 2731. Better still, hill up the soil quite high at the roots, 

 — to prevent breaking and to afford protection and drain- 

 age,— and extend the mound in the form of a gradually 

 diminishing ridge. Bend the canes along the ridge, 

 choosing a time when there is no frost in them, and 

 cover with soil or sod. If the presence of a lawn pre- 



liiiMif ^ 



2734. Protecting plants by covering with a box, inside which 

 are placed leaves or straw. 



vents this method, lay on the grass and cover with a 

 water-tight box filled with leaves. Canes will rot di- 

 rectly under an open knothole. In the spring allow 

 them to remain prostrate some time after uncovering to 

 inure them gradually to the change and to induce the 

 lower buds to strengthen. Hybrid perpetuals, the ten- 

 der forms of moss roses, Hermosa, Clothilde Soupert, 

 and the dwarf polyanthas, may be wrapped, boxed or bent 

 over and covered with soil. Those in beds may be bent 

 over, the tops tied to the base of their neighbors, lead 

 tags bearing numbers fastened to each plant, and a 

 record taken of their names, and all summer labels 

 stored to prevent loss when removing the leaves in the 

 spring. Make a solid frame around them, higher at 

 one end, and fill with leaves so as to cover the plants. 

 Lap the roof boards; they will shed water and allow 

 ventilation. In the spring remove the leaves, replace 

 the top for a few days, but let the sides remain for a 

 week or so to shield from cold winds. Keep the plants 

 prostrate until cut back. The tenderer Teas are 

 placed in coldframes or similar places. No manure is 

 used until spring, as there is no moisture to wash it in. 

 Tree peonies and yuccas should have an empty box 

 placed over them, large enough to prevent the plant 

 from touching the wood. Hibiscus Syriacus, diervillas, 

 deutzias — except D. Lemoinei and t>. parviflora which 

 are hardy — Itea Virginica, Cornus Mas, etc., are 

 wrapped in straw, and when the wrappings exceed four 

 feet in height they should be staked to prevent high 

 winds from toppling them over. Rhododendrons and 

 Azalea mollis when planted out are taken up, the roots 

 given a good soaking in a tub, and replanted in cold 

 pits, or in boxes placed in a coldhouse or pits. In the 

 spring, another hath is given them and the soil firmly 

 pounded around them before replanting. This is essen- 

 tial for continued vigor. Cut all vines of the clematis 

 to within one or two feet of the ground and lay them 

 down, first mounding the soil a few inches if surface 

 drainage is not good and cover with ashes, boxed leaves, 

 or soil, or mulch well and wrap the canes with straw. 

 If close to a porch or steps, do not let the swept snow 

 stay over them, unless well protected, as this snow 

 solidifies and excludes air. If, as some now think, the 

 broken outer skin of the hybrid forms,— Jackmani, 

 etc., — subjects them to disease, then these varieties 

 should not be bent over, but staked and wrapped. It is 

 best not to cut the foliage of the eulalias or the Japan 

 iris, as it, of itself, is a good protection, but manure at 

 the base is essential. Cut down Aruniln Donax, cover 

 heavily with any material, and cover all with tar paper 

 or water-tight shutters. Place half-rotted leaf-mold 

 over fern beds, narcissi, English and Spanish iris or 

 any early -blooming bulbous plant, or a light-strawy 

 covering that is easily removed. Fine old manure a few 

 inches thick is good and can remain. Place a good coat- 

 ing of stable manure around the trees on the lawn, and 

 when they have been established any length of time 



WINTER PROTECTION 



bear in mind that the feeding roots extend out as far 

 as the branches do. The soil under them has a double 

 duty to perform -to sustain both the tree and the grass. 

 Place short stakes around groups of platycodons, As- 

 clepias tuberosa, or any other plants that are late to ap- 

 pear in the spring. Otherwise they may be overlooked 

 in the spring and injured by digging. Examine all la- 

 bels and see that none are cutting into the limbs of 

 trees. Replace all rotten or defaced ones in the bor- 

 ders, using heavy labels, as thin ones often break off 

 and are carried away when the surplus manure is re- 

 moved. Cypress is a good material for labels. A good 

 label for young trees and shrubs is made of a thin sheet 

 of copper. The name is written with a stylus. The 

 label is fastened to a copper wire ring 3 or 4 inches in 

 diameter, placed around the trunk and allowed to lie on 

 the ground. Such a label is durable, unobtrusive and 

 requires no attention for fear of cutting the wood, nor 



can it be lost. 



W. C. Egan. 



Pits, Cold Pits, Storage Pits and Plant Cellars (Figs. 

 2730-2742) are structures, with the greater part sunk 

 beneath the surface of the ground, built for the pur- 

 pose of protecting plants in winter without continued 

 tire heat. They are employed almost exclusively for 

 storing dormant plants. They are not suitable for stor- 

 ing growing plants any length of time, neither are they 

 houses in which to grow plants. They should face the 

 south and be sheltered against north winds by build- 

 ings or other wind-breaks. Owing to their position they 

 should be put in well-drained ground only and well pro- 

 tected against surface water. A well-designed frame- 

 yard is the best possible place for small pits 



The coldframe (see Frame) used by market-garden- 

 ers for wintering cabbage and lettuce"for spring plant- 

 ing, or by the florists for pansies, primroses, forget-me- 

 nots, etc., is really a simple pit. Such shallow pits, 

 with proper protection, are useful for many other small 

 plants which would be injured by severe weather. A 

 deep pit, like a coldframe, is shown in Fig. 2736. A pit 

 built on the plan of the old-fashioned "outside cellar" 

 (Fig. 2737) is very useful for storing tubers and roots. 

 See that it is well ventilated. A section of another pit 

 is shown in Fig. 2738. More elaborate pits, for accom- 

 modating large plants, are illustrated in Figs. 2739-42 



Forms of Pits.- Consult 

 Fig. 2741, in which the 

 entries are numbered for 

 convenience Nos. 1, 2, 3 

 and 4. Nos. 1, 2 and 3 show 

 inexpensive and conven- 

 ient pits for small and 

 medium - sized plants. 

 They may be built 4 ft. or 

 less below the level of 

 the ground, the height and 

 width as shown in the dia- 

 grams; the length should 

 be some multiple of 3, any 

 thing between 9 and 30 

 ft., so that the glass roof 

 may be made of hotbed 

 sash and also protected by 

 the straw mats and wooden shutters 

 See Hotbeds. 



These pits are useful for storage in winter and also 

 for carrying some of the hardier greenhouse plants in 

 autumn until the houses are relieved of the chrysanthe- 

 mum crop. Nos. 1 and 2 make light hotbeds in spring, 

 if tilled with the leaves which formed their winter pro- 

 tection, and are also available for growing such plants 

 as euphorbia during the summer. They are generally 

 too deep for dung hotbeds. Nos. 1 and 2 are planned 

 to run east and west. If No. 3 is thus placed, the roof 

 on the north side may be made of plank instead of 

 glass, but if it runs north and south it should have a 

 glass roof on both sides. Easy access to all is obtained 

 through the roof by removing a sash. Sometimes a 

 door can be built at one end of No. 3. No. 2 does not 

 cost much more than No. 1 and furnishes more room. 

 By putting a few doors in the board roof, excellent ven- 

 tilation is provided. No. 3 gives the best head-room, 

 but is rather dark for evergreens with soft foliage, e.g., 





2735. 



Plants protected in a barrel 



covered with burlaps. 



common use. 



