Gardeners in Winter

Ever wonder what Lasdon gardeners do in the winter?

Most home gardeners rest and stay warm in the winter around the holidays. Seed and plant nursery catalogues start to arrive and are greeted with glee. They are studied, looking for old favorites and some new plants to try.

Here at Lasdon Park we continue our gardening tasks starting in October. Thousands of bulbs are ordered and need to go in the ground!  Accents plants for the Holiday on the Hill train show are potted up (like amaryllis and paperwhite daffodils) for continued color complimenting the trains.

Outside on the grounds of the arboretum, invasive vines are removed from trees and shrubs. English ivy is unwrapped from tree and shrub stems.  Winter pruning is also done at this time. Dormant flowering shrubs are pruned for shape and opening up the center of the shrubs.  Roses, lilacs and azaleas are all treated with this type of pruning.

Ecological restoration also happens in the winter months.  Weedy areas of the park that have been overtaken by weed trees like Ailanthus (tree of heaven) and woody vines like Rosa multiflora (wild rose) and Ampelopsis glandulosa (porcelain berry) are hand cleared. Root balls are dug out. The area is then restored in the spring with a new planting of grass seed or a native groundcover.

In January we start our seeds for planting out in the garden in the spring and summer. We also purchase plugs (small plants that come in a tray of 102-288 plants). We grow these on by transplanting them into larger pots.

Our permanent collection is cared for in the two greenhouses next to the parking lot. Plants are fertilized, repotted when needed and monitored for insect and disease damage.