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3360 Collins Ferry Road
Morgantown, WV 26505

wisdom unencumbered


An Introduction

My stand on flora initially developed as a hobby, followed by at least 42 years of growing Morgantown. That’s right, just Morgantown, not even Fairmont, so this website works best for Morgantown, West Virginia. Our soil, weather, and conditions — like humidity and temperature — are unique to us. If a lawn or garden technique works somewhere else, super, but I don’t think you will have the same success here.

I have been blessed by the person I think is the world’s most beautiful and supportive wife. If you’re interested in asking, she will tell you I am very opinionated. Diane will also be happy to tell you I love to teach, and she’s the happiest when I teach someone other than her!

So, with these pages, I’m going to give you the answers you need to have a successful garden in our hometown. They come from my many years in your lawns and gardens and working with some of the best mentors Morgantown had to offer.


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Repairing the Damage of Old Man Winter

If you remember the discussion on how to prepare shrubs for a real winter (see my Wisdom on Preparing for a Real Winter), we are now faced with how to fix that damage.  

Best-case scenario, your shrubs are basically OK, just pulled apart some. In many cases, though, like the photo in the Wisdom shows [link to photo if you can], the damage is severe. Not the look we want. 

Shrubs in need of repairThe plan: 

  1. If the shrubs are just pulled apart, some take tomato jute available at any hardware store and tie it to one of the limbs inside. Then, weave it around the others (generally three) and cinch them up tight, tying the jute together. Why jute, you ask? Because it rots quickly. Before we choke off new growth, it should decay and fall away. In a couple years, the plant will have reclaimed its posture. 
  2. When things are bad, such as the Wisdom photo shows, you’ll need to take more action. First, cut much of the damaged wood off from the top. Go down about 6 feet with a hand saw, being careful not to do further damage. Then, if it's as big as the photo, get some stainless eye screws and carefully install them into each branch. Pull the shrub back together with stainless or galvanized cable. This can be a job for a professional, and while we don’t do these services anymore ourselves, we maintain a list of excellent people to recommend. We will be happy to connect you! 
  3. When your damage is somewhere in between, use the tomato jute to tie them back together, and then cut off the top couple feet. This is a simple fix and will not be noticeable in a couple years.  

Most importantly—take time in the fall to prepare your tall shrubs for winter. Use that same tomato jute and spiral it around the outside. Start low and wrap around and around, going up and then back down before you tie it off. This is almost guaranteed to keep it from snowing, almost as well as buying a new snow blower.

Taming the Urban Jungle