I was in back in Montreal recently, visiting relatives and friends. In November, people start wrapping their trees and shrubs to protect them from the road salt and the cold. Some Montrealers (my good friend among them) scoff at such measures. I have to admit, growing a shrub like boxwood there is quite a stretch. Perhaps people should stick with plants that can take the harsh winter conditions.
I wrote about this when I was there last year, but I couldn’t resist taking some new photos this time. So, for your viewing pleasure (and amusement) here is more gift -wrapped greenery:
The ghosts of winter
More ghosts
I was walking my friend’s dog, and he was afraid of these. Maybe he’s onto something…..
A row of arborvitae, fenced, then wrapped
Your boxwood is protected, Madame
This rose is seriously undercover
Finally, no winter protection is complete without coir – or in this case rubber – to cover the slippery stairs.
Custom rubber stair mats. Nice!
I think people should try to plant shrubs that can survive the winter without elaborate protection. However, having lived for so long in Rhode Island, I have forgotten what those plants are in Montreal. I do like the rubber mats, especially the way they’re cut to fit the contours of the stairs.
I think the “ghost shrubs” are silly, though.
Digging RI 
that reminds me…I need to burlap my new pine….
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Not too tightly, I hope!
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Pictures, worth a 1000 words.
Last year DirtyNailz’s blog mentioned coir walkway mats as an anti-slip and fall on ice technique. Haven’t tried them yet but here is that source…
Improvements Catalogue (in 2 widths, 18 inches or 30)
http://www.improvementscatalog.com/product/no-slip-ice-carpet.do
DN, our coastal climate must seem a breeze after Montreal!
Peace, GP
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Thanks, GP. I actually bought some really heavy duty coir (thicker than the “Improvements” type) in Montreal last year. We are waiting to install it, so we don’t wear it out too early.
Yes, Rhode Island is balmy compared to Montreal. I don’t understand why some people there persist in their attempts to grow boxwood and rhododendrons and other cold-hating plants, but they do….
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I’m going to Montreal soon for the first time. Good thing it’ll be in spring when things are less scary. ha ha – I can imagine a dog being afraid of those “ghosts”. I guess they could at least try to dress the ghosts up a bit right? some ribbon? some tinsel?
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Oh, you’ll have a great time. Feel free to email me for the must-sees! Great dim sum, btw!
And that dog weighs close to 200 pounds, so you can just imagine how I had to tug with both hands to get him to walk past those “shrub ghosts.”
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Hi! I wanted to let you know that the blog carnival “How to Find Great Plants, Issue #1” was published today and includes your post on sage. Thanks for participating!
I thought this was going to be a belated post about Halloween yard ghosts until I looked a little closer… hilarious! The caption for the protected boxwood made me laugh out loud. I can understand trying to stretch a microclimate for edible plants, but for ornamentals it just seems like so much trouble. Maybe for a rose…
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Thanks. I don’t think many of those homeowners have ever heard the phrase “right plant, right place.”
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