Mid-Atlantic Gardening: Anyone remember the name of this astible?, 1 by meadowyck

meadowyck wrote:
rcn48;

Lacecaps are easy. I'm in a colder zone and this is how I keep mine.

This is the key, figuring out when your first frost is, as this is the time consuming part.

1. put up fencing - fencing that will be able to hold leaves, I use the green covered wire fence
2. at night (especially while temps fluctuates) drape cloth material over the fence and down the side to protect against the frost.
3. Uncover in the morning after threat of frost (sometimes early morning can be worse then night frost
4. If you don't cover at night leaves will turn but it will recover next year, it just can't stay uncovered all winter and make it.
5. Once the temps start staying colder (35-40) fill the fenced area around your lace cap with leaves until the shrub is completely covered. Keep watching throughout the winter and add more leaves as needed.

They do need a protected area from winter wind, but with leaf coverage, next spring when you blow it out will bring you such a beauty that it makes it worth the trouble (at least to me it does).

Janet
here is lady in red at the end of the season this year not the best pics but can't find after I uncovered, it doesn't look like much but step back give it a week and man...... : ~ )




This message was edited Oct 25, 2009 9:03 AM

This message was edited Oct 25, 2009 9:04 AM