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Protective Pine

December 15th, 2014

Now that the ground is starting to freeze it’s time for me to start putting pine boughs on all my plants that can use a little extra protection during the cold winters.
Pine for protection 1
I have lots of small pine trees along the edges of my back field that need to be cut down so they don’t start taking over the open areas. They provide a nice supply of branches for all my plants. When I lived in Ohio I’d get a supply of pine boughs from our Christmas tree farm for free.
Pine for protection 2
I was able to get all my small hydrangeas protected and my newly planted roses. Pine boughs have always provided just right amount of warmth for my plants that don’t appreciate the cold as much as others.

What do you use to protect your slightly more tender plants?

3 Comments to “Protective Pine”
  1. Laura on December 15, 2014 at 8:51 am

    I always get free boughs from the tree farm where we get our tree to make a fresh wreath!

    We hail from Buffalo, NY where it is cold! In spring, I plant close to the house hoping that will protect the bushes but it never does. Our winters (hello polar vortex) and just so cold that there is nothing we can do to protect plants that will work. Not when the high is -1 degrees!

    Reply to Laura's comment

  2. Nebraska Dave on December 15, 2014 at 10:03 am

    Susy, ha, my plants are on their own. They either make it or they don’t. So to be a plant under my care, it has to be tough and durable. I’m just not one to protect or make life easy for any of my plants. So far the ones that I’ve planted have been tough enough to survive and grow. Of course, I don’t push the limit on planting zones at all. I might clean off the dead foliage in the Spring but that’s about all I do for my plant care. Not really much digging and dividing either. I have some flower beds of Tulips, Daffodils, Iris, Hosta and Crocus that are nearing 10 years old without much attention given to them at all. Every year they give me a beautiful display of color. Not a single shovel full of compost or soil amendments as been added since I planted the beds a decade ago. They have never disappointed me with their ability to make the Spring months enjoyable. So when plants come to live at my house they aren’t living the ritz that’s for sure. :-)

    Have a great garden protective day.

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

  3. Charlie@Seattle Trekker on December 16, 2014 at 2:53 pm

    Great suggestion…Thank you for sharing

    Reply to Charlie@Seattle Trekker's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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