I can understand a fertilizer application in the summer but this is December with snow on the ground.  What’s up with that?

Answer: You have a savvy neighbor that most likely has very healthy looking shrubs in the spring.  Many evergreen shrubs benefit from applying an anti-dessicant to their leaves once, if not twice, during the winter.  Evergreens transpire water through leaves and needles year-round. 

When Old Man Winter locks up the soil in his icy grip, roots are unable to replenish water loss. 

Blustery winter winds only aggravate the problem.  As a result, thirsty plants start showing signs of stress, a.k.a. die-back on branches.  Hopefully only a few limbs are affected versus the whole shrub.  Evergreens that welcome this insulating ‘winter jacket’ are rhododendrons, hollies, boxwood, mountain laurel and pieris.  Be sure to spray products such as Wilt-Pruf when the temperature is above 40 degrees.  I usually apply the first dose in early December and a second time in February.  I’ve also found it helpful to spray anti-dessicants on canes of my climbing roses for extra protection as well as on mop-head hydrangeas stems.  Hydrangea ‘Nikko Blue’ and many other big leaf cultivars form next year’s flowers on their stems in the fall.  Heck, any spring flowering shrub (they also set buds in the fall) with lackluster flowering should perform better with a little squirt to protect delicate buds from winter damage.  You can also spray anti-dessicants on rose leaves in spring to protect against black spot and on carved pumpkins in the fall to slow the shriveling process.  I’ve even considered spraying some on my face to slow the aging process!  Anti-dessicants are sort of like duct tape or Bounce dryer sheets, there are many unique applications possible!

Kerry Mendez is a teacher, writer, speaker, home garden consultant, and the owner of Perennially Yours, a business located in Ballston Spa specializing in low-maintenance perennial gardening and landscaping. To learn more please visit www.pyours.com or call 885-3471.

Perennialy Yours upcoming classes. All classes are fee-based and required pre-registration. For more about www.pyours.com/gardenclasses.html.

February 2  Outdoor Living in Style. Landscaping and design class with nationally acclaimed landscaper and author,  Keith Davitt, and perennial expert, Kerry Mendez. 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the Ballston Spa Public Library. $25 per person.

March 8 Designing Ever-Blooming, Low-Maintenance Gardens for Smaller Spaces.  Fundraiser for the Women's Club of Albany. 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. in Albany.  $25 per person.

March 15  Triple Header: New, Unusual, & Underused Perennials and other Remarkables; Creative Container Gardening; and Discover Your Inner Self through Gardening. Class at the Glens Sanders Mansion in Scotia.  9:00 - 1:00 p.m. includes hot luncheon buffet.  $45 per person.

April 4 and 5  Fifth Annual Great Gardens and Landscaping Symposium at the world class Equinox Resort in Manchester, VT.

April 12 Powerhouse Perennials and Time-Saving Garden Tools for More

Beautiful, Lower-Maintenance Gardens. Class at The Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia.  Special Program for Red Hat members. Others may attend, space permitting.  10 a.m. - 1 p.m. includes hot luncheon buffet. $39 per person.

April 24  How to Design a Glorious, Ever-Blooming Flower Garden. Class hosted by the Van Rensselaer Garden Club at the Rensselaer Historical Society in Troy. 10:00 a.m. - noon at the Rensselaer Historical Society in Troy. $25 per person