As the end of the year approaches, and the windchill becomes difficult to bear, so too comes the annual routine of putting the trees to winter’s rest up at the Heritage Tree Center. The event symbolizes the end of the season and allows us to spend some time indoors to plan and research for the upcoming growing season. While not an overly complicated process, it is necessary to protect the plants properly to ensure a high rate of survival for our precious trees.
Timing is very important, as one would expect with any seasonal horticultural task. It’s crucial that plants must be allowed to go completely dormant before being stowed away. Containerized trees outside at our facility are exposed to frost all winter. The sides of our hoop house, which contain seedlings and first year grafts, are opened strategically to keep the inside temperature right around freezing during nightly lows. This controlled cold is crucial, as it allows deciduous plants to defoliate faster, thus shutting down. By early December, most of the deciduous plants have dropped their leaves and the evergreens turn their offseason shade. Some plants, such as oaks, hang on to their senesced foliage. If time allows, the dead leaves are removed...
