An Extreme Week
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How will damage from this weather event compare to last winter’s? We reopen Monday, January 22 at 9 AM!
For those of you who took advantage of the opportunity last weekend to protect some tender plants, congratulations are in order. If you did not, or simply did not realize it might be advisable, all is not lost. The conditions we have experienced this week are radically different than what they were last winter.
While the air temperature on Wednesday morning was possibly several degrees colder than the previous freeze, other conditions exist, which will likely reduce the overall damage to plants in your garden. Here at the nursery, we experienced low temperatures descending to, 10 below zero. Not everyone got that cold. That said, we do extensive winter protection, to ensure that our plants survive in prime condition. We are able to provide an insulated environment for our plants, which provides the needed protection to ensure they emerge undamaged.
If you took the time to cover some tender things, your efforts were greatly aided by the 8-inch snowfall we received Sunday and Monday. That insulating layer will be a difference maker, for everyone, whether you actually covered plants or not. As I mentioned last week, the 2 inches of rainfall we received, in the days leading up to this significant change in weather, was a substantial benefit to our plants in the ground. That moisture, combined with the insulating snowfall, will ensure that plants will survive these freezing conditions. That does not mean they will survive unscathed.
There will be plants that will freeze back to the snow line. That does not mean they are dead.There will be plants that will require being cut back, allowing them to re-grow, which they certainly will. The extent of the damage will not be known for many weeks… remember, it is still January.
Tune in every Saturday morning, live at 8 AM, for answers to your questions: “Gardening Inside Out”. You can listen to our Podcast anytime, on your schedule! Follow and contact us: Facebook. Email. Instagram.
David Bates
As the temperature plummeted I looked outside at my snow covered garden and wondered if I had done enough. Thought about Bates and how much more was at risk there. Little did I know that ice would cover this land and I'd be "stuck" for over a week. I think the plants slept well - wish I did...hope all is well at Bates. It's almost February...