Have you ever looked at a plant at the nursery and wondered what the USDA Zone means on the label? It may say something like USDA Zone 3-8. What is that all about? We will go over what it means, and what to look for if you are choosing plants on your own. The higher the zone number, the less cold tolerant a plant is. Zone 1 is the most…
Read MoreA Warm Winter Snow Blanket
As the temperatures have turned colder, we head in from working on our landscapes. Now we like to find a warm spot in the house when we relax in the winter. It could be with a cup of hot chocolate, it could be by the fire place, or it could be curled up under a blanket. The snow that falls becomes a nice snow blanket for our landscape plants. The…
Read MoreUpcoming Winter Season
The upcoming winter season is quickly approaching. Last winter was a little below average on the amount of snow that fell. For those who are not a fan of winter, that was good. Even though it can be fun to compare the coming winter to last winter, that can be a flawed method for determining what is to come. The winter of 2015-2016 was warmer than average and less snowy…
Read More2015-2016 Winter Wrap Up
Winter wanted to start a little bit early in West Michigan. We saw a few inches of snow fall the weekend before Thanksgiving, but that snow only stuck to the grassy areas. It took a few days to melt. Then December, it is the first month of winter, but the month of December was anything but. During the middle of the month, we hit record high temperatures. Christmas was green…
Read MoreDrawbacks of Snow
Snow, however beautiful can have it problems. Although it provides way more benefits to the landscape than its problems, it can still be a nuisance from time to time. There are a few drawbacks of snow. If the weight of the snow becomes too great, some smaller and weaker plants may have a little trouble holding onto the snow. This is especially true after a very wet and heavy snow…
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