LADYBUG: ALTHOUGH GROWING SEASON AT END, GARDENERS KEEPING BUSY

Cool weather signals the end of the growing season, yet it is one of the busiest times of the year for gardeners. Seasoned gardeners know that it is the time to clean up the garden and get it prepared for spring planting, rather than toil with the soil on a blustery day in March.

By this time the vegetable garden has been put to bed, the annuals beds have been cleaned and the perennials cut back. This eliminates a cozy place for the harboring of insects and other garden pests.

It seems it has taken the leaves forever to fall this year. Possibly there were more leaves than ever before or possibly they hung on the trees longer. This season, raking the leaves was the easy part. More difficult was finding a place to dispose of them.

The Garden Council suggest recycling them, giving back to nature as compost or mulch. Shredding them with the lawn mower is the ideal way, as the leaves are easier to handle land require less space and will decompose faster.

Composting is the ideal way to take care of leaves. Within another growing season or tow there ill be humus for the garden. Its dark color and earthy smell is the signal that it is ready for use. Vegetables and flowers respond beautifully to their food being supplied in this manner.

Trees have had their problems this year because of various stress factors. There was too much rain in the spring and then a severe drought in summer and a repeat of wet weather this fall. Some trees have grown far beyond their expect growth during the past several months.

This is an ideal time to plant dediduous trees and shrubs. Before the ground is frozen solid is a good time to select trees and get them established before spring.

Roots keep on growing until the soil temperature drops below 40 degrees. If the newly planted shrub or trees gets at least four weeks growth, it should be established to withstand the cold.

Plants at this season are often sold in containers, or balled and burlaped. If the tree or shrub is balled with a plastic containing fibre or film, any material that takes a long to rot away, this covering should be slashed so roots and moisture can quickly penetrate.

It is best to wrap young tree trunks to protect them from sun exposure in winter and from gnawing animals, such as mice and rabbits. Commercial tree wraps may be used or some layers of heavy paper or aluminum foil.

Do not use plastic to protect plants as it does more damage by elevating temperatures as the sun hits, causing plants to break their dormancy early and then freeze as temperatures drop suddenly.

Wrap the trunks of new trees, such as maples, as they are prone to freeze damage. The water in their trunks can freeze, causing splitting in later months.

Install barriers of wood in teepee style over plants near foundation plantings where snow accumulation can fall and break plants.

A generous mulch over roots helps prevent drying stabilizing of soil temperatures. The book says one should not mulch heavily until the soil temperature is cold, but in our case, it is necessary to mulch when help is available, regardless of soil temperatures.

Protect tender trees and shrubs by placing stakes in the ground a short distance from the plants. Place burlap on these stakes, leaving a gap of about 6 inches at the bottom for air to flow through. Extend burlap about a foot above the plants to prevent the sun from hitting them. This adds to protection to help the plant survive the first winter.

If your family chooses to have a live Christmas tree, prepare to purchase it early and have the tree delivered early. It may be potted and stored outdoors in a protected area until ready for use. Select a healthy tree and plan on keeping it inside no longer than 10 days. Consider Colorado spruce, Siberian spruce, white spruce, Eastern white pine, Scotch pine or Colorado fir for use inside and then to become a part of the landscape plantings.

Evergreens should be protected in areas where they may be damaged by heavy snow or run-off water from roofs. Some pruning may be necessary to remove branches that may break under weight of snow. Stake young trees or shrubs so they will not fall over or be broken off if they have not had time to develop a strong root system.

By careful selection and planting, new shrubs and trees will become valuable additions to the landscape.