peach tree with small fruit

What This Winter Might Mean To Your Trees And Ornamentals…

This edition of our periodic “post” from Ever-Green is shared as nothing more than a “heads up”… a heads up relative to whenever the snow and the sub-zero temperatures subside for the final time.

It’s for those of us who long for spring, warm weather, and the regeneration of our lawns and landscaping…color, form, and florals.

It’s a reminder to those who plant an apple, cherry, or peach tree in the yard…for blossoms come May and fruit come July and August.

So what’s the heads up?

Well, simply this.  Long term exposure to zero-degree weather can mean that the “buds” that produce those pretty spring flowers on ornamental cherries, pears, dogwoods, and even holly bushes, “may not” come out this spring.  They may have been a victim of too much cold weather, not unlike your household budget.

“I’m not saying for sure, but there’s a chance that a lot of flowering trees won’t blossom this spring because the buds that produce those flowers have already frozen.”  –  Tim Anderson

“I’m not saying for sure that it’s going to happen,”  says Ever-Green’s tree and ornamental specialist, Tim Anderson, who has nearly 30 years in the field.  “But it’s a pretty good bet that a lot of flowering trees won’t blossom this spring because the buds that produce those flowers have already frozen.

“And for fruit trees…apples may be OK because they’re generally a more hardy plant.  Peaches (pictured above) and cherries can be more sensitive and more prone to freeze damage.”

And, those -15 degree nights can have an impact on other species, as well.

“You might see young plantings from last year that don’t survive the winter,”  adds Anderson.  “Or, it might take longer for them to come back this spring.  You can never predict 100% because the variable in all this is the amount of warm days during winter that send a premature signal to plants that it’s time to grow, and then…another cold snap.  We had some of that earlier in January, the question is…how much, and how much damage did it do?”

It’s important for you to know, or least be mindful of this spring.  While those winter winds and temperatures are gone, they may have left a calling card that reminds you all summer long.  For more information call the prosfessionals…call Tim Anderson…at Ever-Green Turf and Landscape, now more than ever, your one-stop option for anything that grows.