Hoffmann Hillermann Blog
Informational Articles, Promotions, and more
Christmas is just days away! We have many, many gift ideas for many ages and
personalities in to fit all price ranges! We have too much to list!
Check out the pictures in our photo album and find many items to shorten your list!
Click here for a photo album with many great gift ideas.
The month of December brings the holiday season and warm thoughts of family, friends and community. I would like to say “Thank You” and wish you and yours a “Blessed Holiday Season” with all the best in the New Year!
Fall will turn into winter this month. It may not always be the most comfortable time to be planting anything in your landscape, but it is a great time for the plants. Trees and shrubs are completely dormant now, so the concept of transplant shock does not apply.
Trimming or pruning of some of your trees and shrubs can be done now. Resist the urge to cut back everything. Most perennials benefit from adding a layer of mulch or dead leaves. Keep your ornamental grasses up until mid-March.
Plants get “chapped lips” too. Cold, dry winter winds and bright winter sun make our skin chapped and unhealthy. Those winds have a devastatingly similar effect on your plants too. No wonder your evergreens don’t look so great come spring. This drying effect is called desiccation. To fight desiccation, choose the right plants for windy, dry areas. Make sure to water your evergreens well through early December, before the ground freezes. Mulch your plants for winter to retain soil moisture as well as soil temperature. Use an anti-desiccant like Wilt Stop by Bonide. These products coat leaves and needles to slow down the loss of moisture.
Here are a few tips on winter houseplant care. When the heat goes on and the daylight becomes shorter, it may be necessary to move the plants to a different place in the home and to give them different treatment from that given during the summer. Flowering plants need at least half a day of direct sunlight. The ideal temperatures for foliage plants are 68-70 degrees during the day and slightly lower at night. Remember, windowsill locations are much colder during the winter and plants may need to be moved to prevent them from getting chilled. The amount of water the houseplants need declines during winter. Reduce fertilizing as well.
Some of the plants in your landscape can help you decorate for the Christmas season. Holly and Boxwood can be trimmed now with some of the cuttings used to accent wreaths or live indoor plants. Some of the growth of evergreens such as White Pine and Norway Spruce, can be used to make a harvest wreath or basket for your front door or porch. Talk about recycling! After Christmas, you can take them to your compost bin for future fertilizer! Along with these Holiday tips, here are a few other ideas for the month:
· Use caution when spreading salt or calcium on ice or snow packed walks or driveways. Salt can damage lawns and plantings, calcium is much safer to use. Be sure to designate areas to for piling snow from plowing in advance to prevent damage to trees, shrubs and lawns.
· Continue to feed our fine feathered friends and place heated birdbaths with fresh water out for them.
Again, I wish you and your family a very Blessed Christmas season. Let’s get to work on planning that beautiful garden scene for next year!
See you in the Garden….
Sandi Hillermann Mcdonald
The Hillermann Nursery & Florist ad in the 11-29-17 issue of the Washington Missourian...
The cold weather is upon us! It’s time to go the extra mile for our friends with feathers. Make your yard a welcoming place for them to visit during these cold months. Birds need high caloric intake to keep their tiny bodies warm. Offering a mix of seeds and suet works well to provide the needed foods and attract several species. Clean and sanitize your existing feeders, and come by to pick up some new ones! We have a great selection to choose from including squirrel proof types to deter those pesky thieves. Make sure your birds have homes to stay nestled in to guard them from the winter chill, and they will be forever grateful. Don’t forget the birds need water during the cold winter months when open water freezes! Water helps them clean and fluff their feathers for insulation, as well as refreshes them. We have heated birdbaths and heaters to add to a current birdbath to prevent frozen water. When un-frozen water is limited, your heated birdbath will be the main attraction!
As evenings become cooler and crisper and the daylight gets shorter and shorter, it's a signal that frost is upon us. The change in temperature and season can leave gardeners longing for the warm summer air, instead of prepping for winter. There's still plenty of gardening to be done this time of year. Get the most out of your fall harvest and set your garden up for spring success by jumping on these garden tasks now.
6 Tips for Fall Gardening
Plant Trees
It's no secret that the best time to plant a tree or shrub is in the fall. Before you plant, evaluate the landscape to assess the amount of sunlight, ground vegetation, proximity to permanent structures, and hazards, such as overhead wires or underground pipes. Choose a site where the tree will be able to grow to its mature height. Then, dig a hole twice as wide and the same depth as the root ball. Place the tree in the hole at the same depth it was growing before and fill half the hole with compost. Mix in an organic fertilizer with the soil. Backfill the hole, give it a nice drink of water and watch your tree grow.
Get Bulbs in the Ground
Spring-blooming bulbs can generally be planted any time before the soil begins to freeze. Give bulbs their best shot by planting a few weeks before the ground is frozen to help them establish roots.
Improve the Soil
While fall is for planting, it's also the perfect time for prepping for next season. Healthy soil is the backbone of every successful garden. Test soil now for pH and nutrient levels and amend accordingly. Dig 4" deep with a stainless-steel trowel and either use a DIY soil test or stop in with your soil sample and we will test the pH for you. To adjust the pH level of your soil, use Espoma's Organic Garden Lime to raise the pH of very acidic soil. Poke holes in the soil's surface and scatter on the lime. Rake lightly into the top inch of soil. Or, apply a soil acidifier to lower the pH of extremely alkaline soil.
Create Compost
All of those colorful leaves that are falling make for perfect additions to your compost pile. If you don't have a compost pile already, start one! The best compost contains about 25 times more carbon-rich materials than nitrogen-rich materials. Think of these as brown and green materials. Brown materials include paper, straw or dried leaves. Green materials include garden and food scraps for rich, fertile compost.
Top with Mulch
Add a thick blanket of mulch on garden beds to reduce evaporation and control weeds. Choose organic mulch that will improve the soil as it decomposes. Lay 2 - 3" of mulch around established plants. When mulching trees, the mulch should extend away from the plant to just beyond the drip line covering a bit of the roots Keep 2 - 3" away from the stems of woody plants and 6" away from buildings to avoid pests.
Make the most of this beautiful fall in the garden.
Sandi McDonald
