What a surprise to wake up to accumulated snow after Tuesday’s 80 degree weather. We know you may be concerned with your landscape and watering so we hope to address some of those questions.
Right now we have snow and colder temps but are not in fear of freezing. Your plants may show some shock but changing leaf color or dropping leaves more suddenly can be normal. Remember that the plants have roots in the ground as well, and these roots are what we will need to focus on the most right now so the plants can come back strong in the spring..
Here are your to-do items:
- You are not done watering yet. Especially with the drought again this summer, plants are not done collecting moisture reserves to sustain themselves over winter. Please continue to water weekly or more (refer to soil type and plant needs for specifics) until the GROUND freezes up and it won’t take in water
- ***Irrigation systems will be turned off before your plants are done needing water- you will need to use hoses until the ground freezes
- We may have future cold weather- there may be a night or 2 where the temps are going to be cold enough to freeze and create ice. Try to remember to disconnect hoses from spigots and let the hoses drain. Some people choose to bring the hoses in the garage to help them be more supple for the next use.
Other fall plant care tips: protect supple tree trunks from animal damage by wrapping ( plastic tubes are usually better for this, but paper wrap may deter some as well)
No need to cut back your perennials, the stems and seeds are great for winter foragers as well as over winter habitat and visual interest for all. Only cut and remove diseased foliage to prevent future re-infection.
Water features: bird bathes fountains etc: until we have a deeper cold with sheets of ice forming you are welcome to keep these features in use. Many have been able to stay out well into November. However, if you are no longer enjoying the features and have worries you can shut these down as sooner. Ceramic-type bird baths benefit from being tipped so the water won’t collect and freeze over winter. Water features like bubbling boulders and fountains benefit from having circulating pumps pulled so that the pump doesn’t suffer from internal breakage due to expanding water during a freeze when the temps start freezing the basin they are in.
Snow on Annabelle Hydrangea