Happy New Year! We hope you have had a great holiday season.
As you are probably aware, we are in for some frigid weather later this week. Although your plants are winter plants and can stand the cold weather, they will need some additional attention when the weather gets as cold as it is predicted later in the week. Below is some information that will help you take care of your plants during this time.
First and foremost….DO NOT WATER!!!!! The ice that forms around the roots can severely damage or kill the plants. You can help protect your plants by covering plants with pine straw, leaves, newspaper, towels, canvas dropcloth, or sheets, but do not use plastic as it can’t breathe and can burn the plants. Bring small pots inside your garage. Window boxes, hanging baskets, and pots are the most likely to be damaged, as their roots freeze and stay frozen for a longer time than flowers in the beds.
We will not be doing fertilization, leaf removal, or deadheading on Monday or Tuesday of this week. Any materials left on the plant or in the beds will help protect the plants from the upcoming weather.
Some general information to know when assessing your flowers after the freeze:
- North facing flowers and those in shady areas will stay frozen longer and will have fewer flowers.
- Tender plants may get burned back, especially mustards, lettuces, cardoons, and kales. They most likely won’t die, but the plants may lose all of their foliage. Please allow them time to rebound. Pansy blooms may be lost temporarily. The blooms will return with warmer weather. Teams will come after the freeze to deadhead the plants.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about this information or about your plants.
