Removing the Winter Burlap
And just like clockwork, this time every year my outdoor grounds crew begins the process of removing all the burlap around the farm, exposing the lush green boxwood that has been covered all winter long.
Every autumn for as long as I’ve been gardening I’ve covered all my boxwood shrubs and outdoor ornamental urns to protect them from the season’s heavy snowfall, freezing temperatures, and damaging winds. Then, every spring when the ground begins to thaw, it’s all removed and stored away. The entire process is a big undertaking; however, knowing my plants are protected in the cold is a great comfort. And seeing all the healthy, intact shrubbery and foliage at the start of a new season is an even greater delight.
Enjoy these photos.
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- During winter, all the boxwood shrubs and hedges are covered in this natural colored fabric. Fortunately, the weather here has been pretty mild these last couple of weeks – perfect timing to start our burlap removal project.
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- This is the biggest stretch of burlap-covered boxwood at the farm, the Boxwood Allée, which runs from outside my stable all the way down to the intersection leading into the woodland.
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- At one end, the boxwood also runs perpendicular to the allée carriage road – all of it is covered in burlap for the duration of the cold season.
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- We remove the burlap once the temperatures are consistently above freezing and before Easter. All of the coverings are custom wrapped and sewn to fit each individual shrub, hedge, or bush. Chhiring starts by removing the wooden strips that help sandwich and secure the burlap at the base.
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- The strips are collected and stored for next year. We keep all the pieces grouped separately and neatly.
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- Next, the burlap is carefully pulled off the steel frames.
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- Here, Chhiring and Cesar pull a long section and begin to roll the burlap.
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- The burlap covers can be used for three seasons. Once they are no longer useable as covers, they are repurposed in the gardens to prevent weeds.
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- All the rolls of burlap must be kept dry when not in use. One of the few downsides to this fabric is that it will start to fray and disintegrate after time, especially if exposed to moisture. Here is one roll of fabric. It may not look it, but this roll is quite heavy.
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- It’s always so nice to see the boxwood once the burlap is removed. For the frames we use the same metal used to make hoop houses – strong industrial steel ground uprights and purlin pipes. These materials not only provide the necessary support frames for the burlap but also accommodate any plant growth.
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- Chhiring removes the fasteners called tension purlin brackets. They connect the center piping to the bow sections of the frame.
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- All the purlin brackets and pipes are saved from year to year.
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- After they are properly dismantled, each piece of framing is neatly stacked, so it can be picked up quickly and hauled away to storage. These pipes are made from rolled galvanized 16 gauge industrial tubing. The top pieces are 10-foot wide bow sections – these frames will last quite a while, I hope.
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- The next step is to remove the metal legs that hold up the hoop structures along the allée. There are many steps – taking down the burlap is a much faster process than putting the burlap up, but it’s still very time-consuming.
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- Here, the frames and legs are removed and all that’s left are the small wooden stakes that hold the legs in place.
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- The metal framing and pipes are all carefully loaded onto our dump truck and taken to a back storage area.
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- The boxwood hedges on both sides of my long and winding pergola have also been uncovered. The burlap removal reveals what we hope for every year – green, healthy boxwood. Soon, these beds will be filled with colorful alliums, lilies, camassia, and fritillaria.
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- This is the other side. All these boxwood shrubs were nurtured and grown here at the farm from small bare-root plants. I am so proud of how well they have developed.
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- This hedge is outside my Winter House. My outdoor grounds crew is moving quickly to get all the burlap off.
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- Some question whether covering the boxwood each winter really helps, but look how lush and intact the plantings are when exposed – I definitely feel it is worth the time and effort.
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