It is often said that just as many plants are killed by too much love as a healthy dose of benign neglect. We water them too much, prune them too far and still worry that we aren't doing enough.
When I used to see evergreens around town lovingly wrapped with care, bundled in burlap for the winter, I suffered a fraction of guilt. Like a good mother , it seemed these gardeners had made sure their conifers and boxwoods had their coats, and mittens too. I wondered, was I lax, was I lazy, should I get on board this burlap train?
As often is the case in gardening, these issues are not an exact science, so the answer is, "it depends".
Everything comes back around to, "Right plant for the right place". An evergreen sited in the right location, exposure and soil, with regular watering probably won't need a winter jacket. But how many times does that happen?
And while we're at it, those anti-dessicant sprays aren't proven to provide protection again winter drying and sunscald.
Here's a link to an article in the Star Tribune that does a great job of explaining the pros and cons, as well as the times when wrapping evergreens for cold weather is the right thing to do. Check it out and see if your evergreens are a candidate for winter coats.
