Many homeowners are concerned about how their plants will fare when it comes time to paint their house. My sister's favorite pastime is working in her yard. She has created a beautiful array of shrubs and flowers in every corner of her yard. Her foundation shrubs and ornamental plants provide a spectacular welcome mat for everyone who enters her home. Recently, I received a phone call from her. She was in tears. She was having her house painted and the painters had not only dripped large drops of paints on her numerous shrubs, they had trampled all over her prize winning Hostas. She was devastated.
Her distress could have been avoided. Here are a few tips to protect your plants from careless painters or from your own drips if you're a do-it-yourselfer.
COVER YOUR PLANTS
Prior to painting cover your shrubs with sheets or tarps. To protect small plants and flowers, turn a flower pot upside down over the plant. This will not only protect them from paint but it will also protect them from being stepped on. Just be careful not to leave the plants covered for long periods of time, especially in hot weather, as it may harm the plant. Clay pots with drainage holes in the bottom are ideal as they provide enough air circulation for a limited period of time. Plastic should be avoided or used for only very short periods of time.
GIVE YOUR SHRUBS A SHOWER
If you don't have spare sheets or tarps to cover your shrubs, another excellent option is to wet the leaves with a hose prior to painting. The moisture will prevent the paint from drying and sticking to the foliage for a period of time. You can then rinse any droplets off when you have the opportunity.
TIMING
If you can select the time of year you have your house painted, choose a time when your plants are dormant. Fall and winter, in warmer climates, are ideal or very early spring in cooler climates before things have started to grow and before you have planted any annuals. Any paint drops on the leaves will be quickly buried in new growth once spring arrives. Note: Low temperature paints are now available making it possible to paint in temperatures as low as 30 degrees.
RELAX!
Most plants can handle a few drops of paint. It will not do them any harm. In most cases any leaves that have paint droplets can be clipped off without much notice. Rest assured that eventually the plant's growth will overcome the paint drops and they will no longer be visible.
PROFESSIONAL PAINTERS
If you are hiring a professional painter and protecting your plants is a top priority for you, be sure and discuss this with them when you are getting estimates. Ask them about their methods of plant protection. Let them know it is a priority. If a painter comes well recommended chances are they will be attentive to your concerns if you make them aware of them. You can also keep an eye on them as they work, at least in the beginning, to make sure they follow through.
Painting your house can be problem free if you know what to expect and take steps to protect what is important to you.
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