Will my plants come back after the winter weather?

This is a question I have been getting a lot in the past few weeks since spring is here, and everything has started to green up. Many homeowners have noticed that their ornamentals aren’t perking back up after the extreme winter weather in February and they are wondering what to do for those plants. The best advice I can give right now is to be patient and wait a couple more weeks to make pruning decisions.

It looks as if gardenias were hit particularly hard, along with some of the evergreens. Leaves have turned brown and brittle, and the plants tend to look poor but that doesn’t mean you have to cut down the whole plant. Many times, you can use a knife to scrape a branch that looks dead to see if it has any green under the outer layer, if you see green then that branch will probably start putting on some new growth this spring. It is also a good idea to closely inspect branches for small buds that would also indicate that the plant is still doing well.

Once we have really gotten into spring, around mid-april, you should be able to tell which parts of the plants are not going to recover from the freeze. When you start to prune off the dead branches, make sure you prune close to the main trunk and use pruning shears that are clean and sharp. This will reduce the chance of insects or disease affecting the plant. You can also use a three-in-one product for shrubs that includes a fertilizer, insecticide and fungicide to give the plant an extra boost and provide some extra protection.

Overall, even though some ornamentals are not looking that great at the moment there is still a pretty good chance that with some extra care this spring they will bounce back and look amazing this spring and summer. If you have any questions please contact the Saline County Extension Office at 501-303-5672.