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.
This lace leaf Japanese maple has seen better – and warmer – days.
Photo Credit: Bosh Bruening
Can you spot the damaged hydrangea in this picture?
Photo Credit: Bosh Bruening
Unexpected freezes in early spring gave the term “Knock Out® rose” a whole new meaning.
Photo Credit: Bosh Bruening
The severe cold created white spots in recently mowed lawns.
Photo Credit: Bosh Bruening
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 experts 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.
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.
It’s also important to employ the gardener’s best friend: patience. Should your broad-leaved evergreens get zapped by late frost, sit tight until the cold spell is over and just keep your clean and sharpened pruning shears at the ready. Once the weather moderates, evaluate the plant damage, then proceed with the necessary pruning.
If you’re lucky, your area will be blessed with a soaking rain just prior to a hard freeze, making plants less susceptible to damage due to lack of water. And if frosts are predicted and your area is dry, do some supplemental watering beforehand – your plants will thank you for it!
The thing about late frosts and freezes is that we sometimes don’t see them coming. And while the damage they can cause to our home gardens is upsetting, all is usually not lost. If you’ve experienced the traumas of an unforeseen spring freeze, I recommend the following:
- Be patient – and try not to worry too much.
- Hold off on fertilizing – at least for a month to six weeks.
- Make sure your plants have consistent moisture.
- Wait to assess the extent of the injury. When you can clearly determine what’s dead and what’s not, then prune off the dead. If it isn’t clear, lightly scratch the stem with your fingernail and look for green underneath. Prune down to the next living bud or juncture (meaning that you don’t want to have lots of stubs and extra stems above where the plant is actively sprouting out again).
- Don’t panic if some plants require drastic pruning – almost to the ground – if they were seriously damaged. Consider it a renovation of the plant (or your garden).
And hang in there. You may not get the amazing number of blooms you were hoping for this spring, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have that beautiful garden of your dreams. Add new plants that you’ve been lusting after or fill in with some interesting containers. Hopefully we’ll all be enjoying a thriving, frost-free garden come May…providing Mother Nature allows.
