Hard Freeze in Spring = Hard Times for the Garden

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Dr. Mark Miller

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Photo Credit: Bosh Bruening

This lace leaf Japanese maple has seen better – and warmer – days.

It usually happens when we least expect it: late frosts and freezes. Just when we think cold weather has officially left the building (er, garden) and we’ve begun to enjoy the beauty of spring, Mother Nature comes along and zaps us – and our plants – with a little harsh reality.

When those unexpected frosts and freezes hit, home gardeners are usually left with a lot of questions as to how to repair the damage. Many turn to our Learn2Grow forums for answers on how to tend to injured mature trees, shrubs, perennials, vines, bulbs and other garden plants. When DJ in Kentucky had asked how his drooping perennials, wilted-leaved mature trees and browned-out wisteria vine would fair both in the short- and long-term after being attacked by a late cold blast, I didn’t have a clear-cut answer. There just isn’t much that any of us can do about freakish weather.

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Photo Credit: Bosh Bruening

Can you spot the damaged hydrangea in this picture?

I could, however, relay to DJ what steps I take before (and during) a possible late frost or freeze might hit in my own Zone 5 garden: I make sure that all my tender potted plants are either protected from the elements or brought inside, and I water well (because cold spells often do the most damage to plant tissue through drawing out the water). And then I kvetch about it.

If your area gets hit with a late frost or freeze, here’s the reality: Yes, blooms will be lost, and you may have to do some judicious pruning to any outer shrub or tree branches that have died. (I had to do this for my mother’s Japanese maple last year.) But the majority of your perennials will actually be more forgiving than you may think – although you may have to do some judicious pruning on them later in spring. Will you completely lose your plants? Probably not. But if you have a young plant in your garden that wasn’t acclimated for long before a cold spell attacks, you may have to say goodbye to its life in the garden and hello to a new one in the compost pile.

Warnings

Always be aware of the last frost-free date in your area. (For me, it’s May 15 and I stick to that – even if the weather is unusually warm prior to the date. Only then do I plant tender annuals in the ground and bring my houseplants outside.) You must still be vigilant in case of a freakish freeze!

Tips

For those of you in bluegrass and lawn fescue regions, don’t fret if you have new “white spots” in your lawn that appeared right after the severe cold snap. These are caused from mowing rather tall grass just before the extreme cold. The tender new grass just “froze,” and it’ll grow out of it. Remember to keep your mower blades sharp to make nice clean cuts on the grass once you mow again.

Definitions

Judicious Pruning: A careful, deliberate approach to pruning off what’s dead and not pruning off what’s alive. (If you’re not sure if a part of your plant is dead or alive, lightly scratch the stem with your fingernail and look for green underneath.)

Tools

While you’re waiting to assess the damage to your plants, make sure your hand pruners and loppers are clean and sharp – in other words, ready for action!

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