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By Steve Boulden
In most parts of the country it's still dead of Winter. However,
in a few spots like here in the Desert Southwest, the warming weather starts to play tricks on Spring budding trees and plants. They think it's time to wake up when it's really not quite safe to.
In my own garden, I have an old Peach Tree that produces the most
wonderful almost softball size peaches. And up until a few years
ago, I rarely got the opportunity to see one make it past the
blossom stage.
As sure as the first warm days would wake the old tree up in a
display of absolute pink, so surely would a Springtime freeze
bring it to an end.
But then one day a few Springs back..... I had a great idea.
It was a little overdue but still quite fortunate that I picked
those first warm Spring days to take down and put up the
Christmas lights. Because as I held those lights in my hands and
looked over at that beautiful pink tree just coming into its
glory, a light bulb turned on in my head.
Hmmm....., are you thinking what I’m thinking? I'm sure you are and it does work.
From then on I've been able to get the majority of my blossoms
to the point of battling birds and June bugs. However, battling the birds and June bugs will be another article altogether.
While I am more comfortable to grow more fruit trees now, I find that this method still works well for me because I do only have a few trees. I'm not sure how practical, cost effective, or easy
it would be to string Christmas lights through more than a few trees.
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If you do ever use this method, use the old fashioned base type bulbs and not the little twinkling lights. They put off more heat. Also, if you live in an area where the climate is harsher than here in the desert, it may be helpful to place a sheet of plastic or tarp over the trees in addition to the lights.
While there are other ways of protecting your trees and plants from a freeze, I just thought I would share this with you.
Written by Steve Boulden. Steve is the creator of The Landscape Design Site which offers free professional landscaping advice, tips, plans, and ideas to do it yourselfers and homeowners. For more on garden design and landscaping, visit his site at http://www.the-landscape-design-site.com
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