Freeze damage showing up in area gardens
Damage this early is usually not long term for some plants, trees.
What a crazy year. Crazy COVID19. Crazy weather. Does this mean we will have a crazy growing season? Probably right.
The weather is not all that crazy – it’s pretty much normal for Ohio. We have this kind of weather off and on, though I don’t remember in recent years having the quantity of freezes at this time of the year.
In fact, I have lived at this house since 2008 and haven’t covered plants ever before like I did this year. At any rate, my asparagus and strawberries survived. My hosta and a few other perennials turned into mush.
Social media posts revealed the type of damage that many of you experienced in the Miami Valley. Hostas took a beating as did some of the crabapples and apple trees.
I had a friend and nurseryman, John Cooper, point out that just because the petals of apple trees are brown, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the fruit was killed.
As I have mentioned before in this column, damage all depends on the stage of development of the plant species. If pollination has already occurred in the apple, and the development of the ovary or fruit began, chances are pretty good.
It’s when the flowers are destroyed, and all the parts involved in pollination are killed, when we see lack of fruit development.
In terms of hosta and other tender perennials, it’s best to cut the dead foliage back or remove from the plant. With hostas, you can either take a very sharp pair of shears and cut the entire plant back to ground level or cut just the dead tissue away and let the new growth emerge from the center.
I also lost my trycertis, or toad lily, to this past freeze. I also cut this back to the ground. Keep in mind that by doing this, you may delay the bloom of some of these plants. However, they will look a lot better during the season.
I found it rather interesting that several people mentioned that they had damage to their tulip poplars. The foliage was damaged significantly. I also had a friend with gingko leaves that
were toasted black.
Because it’s early enough in the year, these trees should have enough energy to send out a new set of foliage this season. Damage such as this is not usually long-term.
Peonies and other plants such as allium were wilted in the early morning but have popped back up.
Keep in mind that perennials store their energy in their root system. They usually have enough energy to recover and come back after this type of event. If you keep the roots healthy, they will survive. It might not hurt to fertilize them this spring to give them a boost.
Compare them to a dandelion or thistle you keep pulling and pulling and keeps coming back. Not all perennials have this type of fleshy root system, but you get the idea.
All I can say is that after this past Tuesday morning, I was thrilled that we were going to start seeing better days.
Pamela Corle-Bennett is the state master gardener volunteer coordinator and horticulture educator for Ohio State University Extension. Contact her by email at bennett.27@osu.edu.