Columnists
Winter damage
Recently I posted several photos on social media of my trees and plants covered in a sheet of ice. I received so many questions and emails asking about the unusual weather patterns and how this will affect the gardens. People are worried about their outdoor spaces and the impact and global warming. Here are some of the most common questions and their answers.
Will this constantly changing weather hurt my trees and bulbs? Several of them have started to bud and I have crocus and daffodils poking through the soil.
While the warm weather isn’t ideal for your trees and shrubs, it’s the extremes that do the most damage. Our garden specimens need time to become acclimatized to winter; it’s almost like going for a swim in a cold pool. If you ease into the water slowly and get used to it, you have less of a shock than if you jump right in. This is why it is very important that you garden with plants that zone hardy to your location. Too often a stunning flower or leaf colour on a plant that really isn’t right for our climate lures us in, and while it may last a few winters, eventually the truth comes out and we have to pull out a dead twig.
Should I add more mulch to protect the roots of my trees and shrubs because we don’t have much snow?
Mulch does the opposite of what you might think. It keeps the cold in the ground and acts as an effective barrier between the sun’s rays and the roots of the plants. Bare soil always warms up faster than a mulched bed. However, if you have daffodils and tulips starting to poke through the ground in a warm sunny spot, add more mulch to delay the process until spring.
I saw your pictures of ice forming on your hydrangeas; will ice on my rhododendron buds hurt them? What about my magnolias?
Ice is actually a good thing in the garden—in moderation. Buds covered in a thin layer of ice stay insulated in the event of a temperature drop. Often fruit growers will intentionally cover their trees in ice to protect them. Too much however can cause major destruction. Ice, just like last year’s heavy snow can add significant weight to branches, causing them to snap off. If this has happened, or you feel like a loaded branch may cause a safety issue, then definitely clean them off, but avoid doing any heavy pruning, as it is hard on a plant in times of extreme weather conditions.
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