Homeowner Tip: Should You Burlap Your Boxwoods?

(Photo via thegardenbuzz.com)

Unless you live by the coast or have plantings atop your city roof deck where there are high winds, you don’t need to wrap your evergreens in burlap, says Vanessa Tropeano, General Manager for Parterre Garden Services. And that’s good news, considering snowflakes have already been flying, coating the ground and the trees. After all, a large reason that homeowners plant evergreens, she continues, is to have that structure and form during the winter months, and you can’t appreciate their beauty if they’re covered in fabric. If you insist on applying burlap, watch that your evergreens don’t get too warm, Tropeano advises. When temps are mild, this means of “protection” can actually do them harm.

Parterre

Evergreens are not fragile plants. They’re made to withstand winter. However, you can help protect them if you tie them up with string (Parterre uses green twine). Start at the bottom and secure the branches to the main stem and then wrap the twine candy-cane style all the way up, securing it again at the top. Don’t wrap the shrub too tightly, Tropeano warns. Air should be able to move through the plant comfortably. This is not the equivalent of wearing Spanx to a holiday meal, this application is meant to provide just a little extra support.