Written by John Katterjohn
A few weeks ago we enjoyed some beautiful eighty degree, sunny days. After not having much of a winter at all, it felt as if we were rolling right into summer. This warm weather has fooled plant material and us as well. People have the ability to realize that this weather phenomenon was fleeting at best. But plants have no reasoning abilities and they were tricked for sure.
Everything started to grow as if it was really time to emerge from dormancy. Perennials sprouted new foliage, bulbs shot up, flowers and leaves of shrubs and trees emerged. It appeared as if everything was bursting into bloom at once. We had dogwoods, redbuds, lilacs, tulips, daffodils, azaleas, forsythia, magnolias, and hellebores all blooming at the same time. Although it was a joy to look at it, the spring flower display period was severely shortened. And the display was a month early.
Now, lately, we have had at least three nights of freeze warnings and subsequent hard frosts. What was hurt and what wasn’t? How badly were plants injured?
The tender perennials were definitely dealt a blow, severely damaged tender foliage wilted. Mophead hydrangeas suffered leaf burn, but the flower buds seemed unhurt. Foliage on Japanese maples was also burned, but the tender stems seemed undamaged. New growth on yews, boxwood, and magnolias suffered a great deal. Flowers on some viburnums were destroyed. Just today I saw young leaves on oak trees an unfortunate crispy brown. Again, though, I haven’t noticed any stem damage. I think we fared pretty well and were very lucky it didn’t get much colder than it actually did. The winds also helped keep the frost down.
I’m sure the damage was different in different places. Micro-climates and plant locations are important factors in determining frost locations and plant damage.
What to do now? My short answer is “not much.” The burnt foliage will wither away and fall off. New leaves will emerge. If my assumption that new stems were undamaged is correct then the plants will fully leaf out and recover well. If the symptoms of stem damage do appear later on during the growing season then some judicious pruning will be necessary. If that is the case then prune back to healthy stems and/or buds.
It appears that some of our spring blooming plants are still going to perform. Rhododendrons are just now breaking bud, they will be delightful. The warm winter resulted in an abundance of healthy flower buds. The later blooming hydrangeas will perform as well. The mild winter was kind to last season’s stems. And, of course, the summer perennials will still put on their show.
So, not to panic, clean up some of the injured plants and look forward to a great growing season. Since experiencing our mild winter and crazy spring, and contemplating all the weird weather that’s been going on the past few years, it appears that there is no normal at all. It also reinforces the theory that when landscaping, always try to put the right plant in the right place. At least that gives the gardener a fighting chance.