Don't be fooled . . . It's still winter in the garden
What a gorgeous spring day. Too bad it happened in January.
The thermometer outside my house topped out at 66 degrees. Global weirding.
Remember back to last January when cherry blossoms were popping out before the Christmas decorations came down?
I run hot and cold about this waiver from winter weather. On the one hand I’m not dipping in to my daughters’ college fund to feed the furnace. But the gardener in me wouldn’t mind a good old-fashioned frozen-tundra-and-snowpack-till-March kind of winter.
For one thing, it would help put a chill on the reproduction activities of promiscuous rodents like voles, chipmunks and squirrels. And since voles don’t hibernate, a string of days and nights in the 0 to 5 degrees range might make popsicles of a few of them.
Seasonably cold temps also help control pathogens and other pests all snug and cozy in your garden soil.
Some plants actually benefit from “real winter.” Peonies fail to bloom in spring if the soil doesn’t get cold enough in winter to complete dormancy. Peonies need 30 - 60 nights of freezing temperatures.
While a string of 50 and 60-degree days may be easy on home heating bills, they can be hard on the home landscape.
When plants awaken too early from their winter slumber dormant buds begin to swell. The first buds to open on spring blooming plants are the flower buds. They’re also the most sensitive to cold weather.
For some species of spring flowering plants like lilac, forsythia, and azalea, that may mean reduced bloom. The flower buds on these plants form on the previous season’s growth. During winter dormancy, a protective scale covers the buds, providing a shield from cold temperatures. Once buds swell and break the protective scale, the buds may freeze and die.
That’s it; show’s over. They won’t regenerate until next summer.
Other plants, especially ornamental trees like cherry, quince, and plum, may get a second chance. A lengthy cold spell can replicate dormancy and induce a new round of bud development.
Leaf buds are less sensitive to cold than flower buds, so there should be plenty of foliage to feed gypsy moth caterpillars in spring and early summer.
Over the long haul plant hardiness is also affected by unseasonably warm temperatures winter after winter. Once plants get used to warmer weather, they can’t take the normal cold. It’s called de-acclimatization.
Kind of like your Jersey relatives who move to Florida and then keep turning up your thermostat when they come back north to visit.
Other landscape problems include frost cracks in tree bark, root injury from frost-heaving, and dessication of evergreens such as pine and rhododendron.
Wrap young, thin-bark trees, such as maples and fruit trees, with light colored tree wrap up to the first limbs to prevent cracks and splits.
Snow cover is usually the best guard against frost-heaving. Since Nature isn’t cooperating so far this winter, use wood chips or the boughs of that discarded Christmas tree to insulate the soil and prevent fluctuations in temperature. Mulch vulnerable areas just before a cold snap is forecast.
And be sure to keep susceptible landscape plants watered if the warm weather continues, especially in the sandy soils predominant in parts of South Jersey. Burlap screens and windbreaks can be used to shelter evergreens. Anti-transpirants, or anti-dessicants, can also provide some protection by reducing the amount of moisture lost by the plant.
As the saying goes, you can’t do anything about the weather. You can take steps to protect your plants or help them recover. And if the climatic flip-flop persists, you can always consider replacing your pines with palms.
After the roots have sprouted and the stems are an inch or two tall, add a “cocktail” of 1 part gin, rum, vodka or whiskey (don’t waste the good stuff!) to 7 parts water with each subsequent watering.