April 1 always begins the same way in our home: I go into each of our children’s bedrooms, pull open the shades, look out the window, and exclaim “It snowed!” A very sleepy child who has somehow morphed into a teenager will roll over and say, “April Fools.”
“No really, it did snow – look,” I counter. “Ha ha, Mom.” I am not sure this April Fools trick ever worked, but I keep doing it anyway. My mom did it with me, and so the tradition continues.
It seems that winter this year was one really long trick on us! Snow, snow, snow, and yet more snow. Thankfully, most of us were able to stay safely inside all winter long. Doctor’s appointments were re-scheduled, visits from neighbors and family were few and far between, and the newspaper, radio, and television brought us news from the outside world. Personally, I feel very blessed we made it through a difficult situation without any falls or accidents. Unfortunately, many did not have the same luck.
As we were safely tucked inside all winter long, our plants have been outside in the elements. Unfortunately, some of them are starting to show signs of just how rough a winter it was. Plants can be irreparably damaged by below zero temperatures, snow, and ice. Plants are resilient, however.
Thankfully, when we had the arctic cold temperatures in January, there was snow covering most perennial flowers. The snow acts as insulation to plants. Sometimes, perennials can be raised slightly out of the ground over the winter due to the ground’s freezing and thawing. If this happens, you should be able to gently push down around the crown of the plant to reset it. If it is popped up too much, you may want to gently lift it out and replant it.
In late February, I noticed three Yews in a parking lot that were showing signs of winter burn. Since then, just about every evergreen shrub I look at shows some degree of brown needles.
Unlike flowering shrubs or trees, evergreens retain their needles (or leaves) through winter, though they are continuously losing water and wind and the cold temperatures can harm them. In my 24 years in the landscaping industry, I remember three winters that had a detrimental effect across the area with regards to evergreens.
For two of those years, thousands of boxwoods died and one year hundreds of Globe Arborvitae died. This year is different. Never before have I seen damage across the board to all types of evergreens. In many cases the brown needles are predominately on the south or west side of the trees.
The damage I have seen so far has been to Yews, Boxwood, Junipers, Pine, Spruce and Euonymus. It is unfortunate, but I do think there is hope that as the spring comes, the plants will push out new growth, the brown needles will drop off, and the plant will look similar to its normal state. Although no one wants brown evergreens in their yard, the resiliency of plants may lead to healthy looking evergreens by early summer. Inevitably, some will have to be replaced, however.
• Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc., a garden center and landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or tgsinc12@msn.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column.
