This winter was rough. With record-breaking snowfall and dangerous wind chills, the end of winter couldn’t come sooner. Spring brings beautiful colors, succulent smells, and the first day sitting on the patio. But first, the snow melts to reveal its brown and muddy nature. As we start looking for the first signs of spring in the garden, we’re left searching for plant life.

Don’t Panic! Be Patient.

Sometimes the first instinct is to panic, but many perennials and shrubs don’t pop up at the first sign of spring. Some plants are considered “late emergers,” and take their time to recover from the winter. These include:

• Butterfly Bush
• Rose of Sharon
• Hardy Hibiscus
• Japanese BeautyBerry
• Broad-leaf evergreens, such as rhododendron or azaleas
• Caryopteris aka bluebeard
• Summersweet
• Sweetspire
• Hydrangea

English Gardens nursery and perennial buyer, Darrell Youngquest explains, “Especially after this winter, we expect many plants will take their own sweet time recovering. The soil needs to heat up before plants will do anything. They’ll need extra time this spring.”

Plants in sunny areas react differently to those in shady. Even shade from your house or a tree is enough to keep plants from waking up as fast as those in sunny areas.”

A good rule of green thumb: just because it doesn’t have leaves, doesn’t mean it is dead.

However, to ease your mind, try these tests.  

“Hey, are you dead?” Tests:

For shrubs: Use the nail on your thumb to scratch at the bark of the shrub. Do you see green? If yes, then your plant is alive and just working its way back to full-recovery.

For perennials (like black-eyed susan and butterfly weed): Carefully, dig your plant out of the ground to examine the roots of the plant. The plants is alive if you see full, firm roots.

Note: These tests are not 100% accurate. Patience is your best virtue.

The root of the problem 

Snow was not the main problem. Snow acts as an insulator and kept plants warm.  Michigan received record snow which may have crushed some plants. Or plants may have been damaged by snow plows or blowers. Just do a little trimming and clear out broken branches and stems. It may take a while for plants to recover but they will eventually.

Salt causes damage by drying out plants.  Once the ground thaws, flush soil in garden beds with water.  Next winter, forego the salt and use plant-safe ice melters instead.

The cold wind was also harmful to plants not protected.  You might notice problems on boxwood or arborvitae from salt or wind.  It may take some time, but the plant will recover as it flushes out new growth.

Gardeners might also uncover rodent damage. Rodents dig into and chew the roots of plants, harming the root system.  And with enough damage, kill the plant.  Your best line of defense is keeping rodents away from the garden with weather-proof bait stations.

Heavy snow and a layer of ice that formed in late December smothered lawns all winter, and may have caused problems. If your grass is brown, then it’s not a problem. However, if you start to see patches of gray or pink, then you should investigate this. Cool temperatures and high humidity are perfect breeding grounds for snow mold. Long grass and un-raked leaves also contribute to the problem.

 “We have your back”  

If you have any problems with your lawn or garden, English Gardens garden pharmacists will help determine the problem and write a custom “plantscription” for treatment. Come in with a sample of any problem and we will help.

English Gardens offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee.  Garden Club members have a two-year warranty on trees and shrubs and a one year warranty on perennials and roses.  Without membership, we guarantee trees and shrubs for one year. 

An Ounce of Prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Plan for another cold winter next fall.  We’re here for advice on winter preparation to keep your garden healthy.

If you need help accessing winter damage, come in and talk to an English Gardens expert at any store.