Every fall, I play a game of hide-and-seek with Jack Frost on behalf of our warm-season plants, and although he invariably wins, this year I managed to protect our frost-tender plants from Jack's fatal grasp three times by hiding them beneath layers of blankets and drop cloths until it became too cold to protect them further.

It always upsets me when we lose our warm-season plants to Jack Frost. Then again, I realize that without a sufficient "chilling period" (hours of freezing temperatures), many of our plants wouldn't flower or set seeds for subsequent growing seasons. Plus, if it weren't for Jack Frost, I wouldn't be able to home-grow the apples, berries, cherries and peaches that I relish, since they require a chilling period, too. Jack Frost, with his freeze-thaw cycles during spring and fall, is also responsible for a great deal of root damage to shallow-rooted plants. His visits remind me that it's time to apply mulch around the bases of our shallow-rooted plants.

Mulching dos and don'ts

A winter mulch is much like an insulating blanket that helps to moderate root-zone temperatures and to lessen moisture loss. Though unlike a blanket of snow, you can count on mulch to be there when roots of plants need it the most. Experience has taught me that it's only necessary to spread 2 to 3 inches of mulch around a plant's base, up to a plant's "drip line." That is, out to the point where a plant's outermost leaves reach.

It's never a good idea to apply any mulch right up against the bark of trees or shrubs -- except to shield the bud unions of roses from freezing temperatures -- since this practice invites rodents to hide beneath the mulch, where they can clandestinely chew on bark.

Pine-bark nuggets

I use pine-bark nuggets, which are sold in 3-cubic-foot bags, to mulch our trees and shrubs. Weed-seed free pine-bark nuggets take several seasons to completely decompose. Additionally, their light weight makes them easy to carry, and they drain so freely that instead of turning soggy during wet weather, plants mulched with pine-bark nuggets can be fertilized by "top dressing." In other words, the pine-bark nuggets can remain in place instead of first being pushed aside prior to fertilizing.

After Jack Frost has finished his work for the year, I leave the pine-bark nuggets in place through the spring and summer, except for removing it from the bud unions of roses in March.

Then, when Jack Frost returns, I top off the previous year's pine-bark nuggets with fresh ones if more mulch is required to maintain the desired depth.

In the garden

Yellow and brown foliage in your perennial beds? Remove it now to deter insects and disease from gaining a foothold prior to spring growth.

Lou Boulmetis is a certified master gardener who lives in Littlestown, Pa. Call him at 1-888-727-4287.

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