Removing the Burlap Around the Winter House
This year’s spring burlap removal project is off to a great start.
Every autumn for as long as I’ve been gardening I’ve covered all my boxwood shrubs, various winter-sensitive plants, 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. This week, my outdoor grounds began removing the burlap from around my Winter House. The entire process takes several days to complete; 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 in the Northeast has been beautiful and mild these last few days – perfect timing to start our removal project.
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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. This is my herbaceous peony bed which is surrounded by boxwood shrubs.
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- One of the first steps is to remove the wooden strips that help sandwich and secure the burlap. The strips are collected and stored for next year.
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- The crew also removes the wooden stakes that hold up the framing. These stakes, which are an inch-and-a-half by an inch-and-a-half, were milled right here at the farm. These wooden stakes are also gathered and stored for later use. It is important to me that nothing is wasted.
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- Here is Domi carefully lifting the burlap off of the low boxwood and golden barberry hedges on my terrace parterre.
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- We use industrial burlap that’s available in giant rolls of 40-inches or 60-inches wide. These covers are used for two or three seasons before being replaced.
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- Here is what it looks like underneath the burlap covering my fountains in front of my Winter House kitchen. Holes are purposely left in some burlap, so birds can take shelter when needed. This burlap is very strong and can withstand weathering with minimal loss of durability.
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- 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 growth. I ordered all the piping from Growers Solution, a family-owned business in Cookeville, Tennessee.
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- These pipes are made from rolled galvanized 16 gauge industrial tubing. The ground piping is pounded into the ground – each one about four to five feet from the next. The top pieces are 10-foot wide bow sections – these frames will last quite a while, I hope.
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- These fasteners are called tension purlin brackets. They connect the center piping to the bow sections of the frame. All the purlin brackets and pipes are saved from year to year.
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- In tighter areas, we build burlap frames using metal supports and wooden stakes. The burlap and all the supplies are removed gently, so as to preserve as much burlap as possible. Any damaged or badly timeworn burlap is saved for use in the gardens as a weed blocking layer under the mulch.
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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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- Chhiring labels each roll of burlap indicating what it covers and where. The label will make it easy to identify next fall when the boxwood is covered again.
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- Here is the label on one of the rolls. The sections of burlap are also tied with jute twine – we use this natural twine for many projects at the farm.
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- This side of the upper terrace parterre is along the carriage road in front of my home.
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- Here’s Chhiring pulling the fabric off of the steel piping in front of my Winter House porch.
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- And this is the terrace outside my Green Parlor. It’s always so nice to see the boxwood once the burlap is removed.
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- The crew has been doing this for years – they have streamlined the process and everyone works swiftly and efficiently.
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- Everything is already looking so lush and green – all the greenery was well-preserved under the protective winter coverings.
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- Once the crew finishes removing the burlap, the materials are loaded onto the truck and taken to the Stable Barn for storage. Taking down the burlap is a much faster process than putting the burlap up, but still time-consuming.
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- Here is the boxwood that surrounds my herbaceous peony bed – now completely uncovered. Removing the burlap changes the entire appearance of the area and reveals what we hope for every year – green, healthy boxwood. What a gorgeous time of year.
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