When the temperatures start to get colder and the days get shorter in fall, this is a signal to plants in the landscape to get ready to go to sleep.

With snow cover and relatively consistent cold temperatures plants will remain asleep and not suffer damage; but when there isn’t a layer of snow on the ground and the temperatures get warmer plants get confused.

You may have noticed that bulb plants are starting to peek their heads above the ground, only to get damaged when it gets cold again.

Frost heaves also occur. This is when the main rootball of a plant pops up relative to the surrounding soil. We can’t really do anything about the weather, but we can help our plants by adding a blanketing layer of mulch to help regulate temperature swings.  Add a two to three inch layer of natural mulch, like hardwood or pine bark, to all your landscape beds. Don’t worry about covering up plants if they have already started to emerge, they will be ok.

What about the trees and shrubs? 

Adding a layer of mulch over the roots of trees and shrubs will help them as well by helping to regulate ground temperatures.

Make sure to keep the mulch one to two inches away from the stems and trunks of trees and shrubs.  Mulch that touches the stems causes damage by keeping the bark too wet or encouraging girdling roots — avoid doing this.

For new trees, wrap the trunk from the ground to the first set of branches with a paper trunk wrap.  This helps prevent frost cracks in the bark. Any delicate plants should be protected with a burlap screen on the sides to help with blowing wind. Use wood or metal stakes to support a fence of burlap close to your plants.  Do not wrap burlap directly on plants or cover the tops.

If you have questions, be sure to visit our experts at English Gardens. To read our blog post What to do in the Garden Right Now: February, click here.