42 
House & Garden 
PUTTING ON THE GARDEN’S WINTER CLOTHES 
The Reasons and Methods for Winter Protection of Shrubs, Trees and 
Hardy Perennials—Plans for Special Situations 
W HY does Nature in her mysterious way 
clothe animals in heavier winter coats 
than they wear in summer? Why do trees of 
northern climates root more deeply than those 
of the tropics? Why do briars and other un¬ 
derbrush always grow beneath trees in their 
natural environment ? 
The answer is simple: these are merely 
Nature’s ways of caring for her own. The 
fur of the animals is for warmth, the deep root¬ 
ing of the trees is to avoid damage by deep 
freezing or heavy winds, the underbrush is to 
catch the falling leaves for winter protection. 
It is by giving serious consideration to the laws 
of Nature and improving upon them that it 
becomes possible for us to have any number of 
beautiful plants that are by no means hardy 
in this latitude. 
Some there are who would excuse their lack 
of progressiveness by questioning the sense of 
trying to grow plants that always require pro¬ 
tection during winter. Yet one of the great¬ 
est factors contributing to our present high 
standards is the desire to have better things. 
That is excuse enough for anyone trying to 
winter plants that require some extra care to 
survive the cold. 
Protection Methods 
There are two distinct methods of protecting 
plants to prevent winter killing. One is to pro¬ 
tect the roots by covering the rooting area with 
loose material called a mulch; the other is to 
cover the tops to prevent sun scald or the effect 
of freezing and thawing during winter. Each 
of these methods is necessary with certain 
classes of plants. 
Any material loose enough to form an air 
cushion on the surface of the ground may be 
used to protect the roots. Manure is preferred, 
as it not only reduces the penetration of the 
The manure mulch is a good thing for 
shrubbery borders during the winter 
WILLIAM C. McCOLLOM 
A box of suitable size will hold dead 
leaves in place over an individual plant 
frost and minimizes the freezing and thawing 
process, but at the same time it enriches the 
soil. The winter rains slowly dissolve the 
plant foods in the manure, washing them into 
the soil where they become available for the 
roots. This annual application of manure 
mulches should be more generally practiced. 
Besides the protection afforded, it keeps plant¬ 
ings in a healthy, vigorous state of growth. 
Leaves when used in large quantities form 
an excellent protecting covering for the roots, 
but they take so long to decay that they possess 
little fertilizing value when used fresh; and 
when decayed, they disintegrate so thoroughly 
that they are of no value as a mulch. Where 
conditions are such as to allow leaves to fall 
and decay gradually we have the ideal root 
protection and refertilizer. This process should 
always be followed on large plantings of 
rhododendrons, laurel, etc. 
Where dryness is advisable, leaves are also 
invaluable for their water shedding qualities. 
Anchusas and other soft rooted perennial 
plants suffer from excessive moisture at the 
roots, but this can be overcome by mulching 
heavily with leaves. Leaves are also helpful in 
keeping out the frost; very tender roses can be 
wintered safely with a proper covering of them. 
Pine needles, meadow hay or any loose ma¬ 
terial that will not mat solid may be used for 
root protection. If these mulches are loosened 
occasionally during winter so that they do not 
freeze into a solid mass, they are certain to re¬ 
duce the action of the frost on the roots. 
The proper time to apply root coverings is 
after the ground has been somewhat frozen. 
The purpose of this is to allow Nature to check 
the root action and properly ripen the growth 
for winter. If the mulch is applied too early 
the roots continue to be active until unseason¬ 
ably late, which, of course, is not desirable. 
Usually after several light freezings a crust 
will form on the surface of the ground. This 
is the proper time to apply root mulchings. The 
quantity to be applied is determined by the 
nature of the plant and the material used for 
covering; usually from 4" to 6" of manure is 
used in mulching, while from 8" to 12" of leaves 
will be necessary to give proper protection. 
The Plants to Protect 
It would be much easier to name the very 
few plants that are not benefitted by winter 
mulchings, than to enumerate those which are. 
Those actually requiring it are the broad leaved 
evergreens, rhododendrons, mahonia, Andro¬ 
meda, etc. Evergreens of all types should be 
protected for the first few years after planting, 
at least; and retinosporas, biotas, and other 
dwarf evergreens should be protected regularly. 
Those not familiar with the different types of 
evergreens would be acting wisely to mulch all 
kinds adequately. 
Plants of all kinds that are not growing sat¬ 
isfactorily can often be brought back to health 
with the assistance of a mulch of good manure 
applied in autumn. Hedges of all sorts, regard¬ 
less of their hardiness, should be mulched. 
Specimens growing in exposed locations need 
this form of protection, while plantings of any 
kind on raised mounds which shed water should 
be mulched deeply to retain all the water pos¬ 
sible about their roots. 
Deciduous trees and shrubs do not suffer so 
much from the action of the sun as do ever¬ 
greens. They are, however, just as susceptible 
to damage from severe freezing of the roots. 
In many cases the trees will start into growth 
in early spring, only to stop shortly and then 
gradually die. This often leads one to think 
that the trouble is of some other nature. The 
fact is that the roots were killed to a point where 
Cornstalks and dead leaves can be util¬ 
ized for winter protection of borders 
