With the now removed annual flowers from the landscape beds, the next binge at the nursery is weed control. Glypsophate (Roundup) is employed to kill weeds that will overwinter and then bolt upward with the warmer days and longer days of spring. Two troublesome weeds are the sow thistle and the ever present garlic mustard. Sow thistle is easy to pull but is so much more prolific than Canada thistle. Everywhere in the fine gravel beds used to heal-in balled and burlapped stock, this weed will take hold and thrive. Garlic mustard is prevalent at the property perimeters and if not killed now will again bolt in spring to bloom with it’s cream-colored yellow seed pots that seem to spread everywhere. For any home owner, killing a variety of perennial weeds now will save precious time in spring when the planting season is upon us.
Hairy bittercress, henbit, dandelion and chickweed are other “weeds” which can be eliminated in fall to prevent seeds from forming in mid-spring only to continue again.
This past week wind and rain has prevented the covering of our overwintering houses so that a dry, still day is needed to apply the white plastic “skin” of these houses used for winter storage of trees and shrubs.
Then there is the collection of pine branches from Galehouse Tree farms in Doylestown to be used for grave decorations so that pre-Thanksgiving orders are ready. Sometimes fall seems nearly as busy as spring except for the absence of the numerous customers and the only reason that the nursery exists in the first place.