Hello, good people of the Acer Forums! Question here from a newbie in the wonderful world of Acer Palmatum : I planted a Bloodgood in May. It is 5'-6', so I guess its not that young though I dont know for sure. It will be its first winter in my garden and I am determined to give him the best of preparation and care to survive the cold. I am in zone 4b in an area where we usually get a lot of snow as soon as december and til late March. The tree is planted in a well protected area, against a 6,5' fence and just around the south corner of the house. I have a truckload of mulch and I bought a "winter plant blanket" (which definitely has a proper name but I dont know what its called in english - hello, french speaking girl here!). I would like to have your advice on how to protect my baby : when, how, with what, etc... Any informations will be greatly appreciated! Thanks a lot, Marie
I am not from a cold zone, but I have picked up a few tips over the years as to what people do in marginal winter areas. Sounds like you have won half the battle by planting in a protected environment, close to house and fence, sheltered from wind etc. Should have a favourable micro-climate going for it. Take a note of what direction the coldest and/or strongest winter winds come from and make sure the tree is not exposed to this aspect; if it is try and rig up a windbreak of some sort. Not much else you can do, apart from a few inches of bark chips for mulch to help protect the roots (but not against the trunk). If the snow cover is persistent that will further help to insulate the roots, some people even deliberately pile snow around their plants. If there is any soft twig growth that has not hardened off before winter this will almost certainly die back. Usually only a problem with plants that have been over pampered with too much water and feed late in the season, but can be a problem with nursery stock brought in from a warmer zone and not yet fully acclimatised. Hope that helps a little and good luck.
