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Winter Damage: Is Your Garden At Risk?

© Barbara M. Martin

Maybe you've planted some plants you know are just a little too tender for your location. Maybe you have a few treasures deemed "reliably hardy once established". Maybe you've pushed the envelope on the planting season and popped in a few ultra-late but irresistible sale items. Maybe you just aren't sure how much winter abuse your plants can really take. Maybe you are just a nervous-Nellie type of gardener.

Don't see yourself in any of the above? Even so, some years it pays to start by evaluating the risks, and then worry accordingly. There is no substitute for taking action before it's too late.

For the most part I've pretty much given up worrying about winter damage. It's part of my laissez faire approach to things in general. And most years my garden suffers very little winter cold damage so I don't need to give winter protection much thought. But when mild fall temperatures linger long into the normal freeze zone on the calendar even I start to worry. So should you.

Certainly the older, established plants have already proven themselves hardy year after year. Sure I've chosen plants rated hardy for my zone and we are situated on a warm southern slope with good windbreaks formed by both topography and acres of sturdy woods. So what's the difference this time?

The difference is that the plants are not going dormant the way they usually do and that makes them susceptible to cold damage. If the temperatures drop fast the plants won't be ready for it. Besides that, in my area the soil moisture is low and the plants are at serious risk of desiccation. Freeze-drying isn't just for instant coffee processing: nature can do it to live plants, too.

Now factor in the weakened state of drought-stricken plants and then add in the usual risks of sunscald, animal damage and storm breakage and it's enough to make any caring gardener worry. So what can you do to protect your plants?

The basic rule is to follow three steps: water, protection, and mulch. Use the following links to help evaluate your risks and take appropriate steps to protect your garden.

Overwintering Plants in the Landscape another good to-the-point source of practical information

Effects of Cold Weather on Horticultural Plants an in-depth look at plants of all types, includes useful technical information from climatology to illustrations identifying bud stages on fruit trees