Is it dead yet?
My winter casualty list last week brought some questions about “how long do I wait to pronounce my “such and such” dead?” From boxwoods to roses to dogwood trees people are wondering.
I guess my answer would be don’t bring out the chainsaws and chippers just yet. With boxwoods, if it’s brown cut it down. Not really, but I like the rhyme. You should cut it back to green leaves. And if there are no green leaves, then cutting it down is probably right; however, it will probably resprout from the roots.
In the case of trees and large shrubs, take your thumbnail and scratch away the bark from a stem. If you see green, it’s alive. If it’s sort of green, start praying. If it’s nowhere close to green and snaps in half, call the undertaker.
My general advice is to just wait. Come Memorial Day and there are still no signs of life, start shopping.
Hardiness zones
In 2012, the United States Department of Agriculture revised it’s hardiness map which divided the country into hardiness zones based on the mean minimum temperatures between 1976 and 2005.
These zones are used to determine what plants can be grown where. We became warmer, but this past winter blew it all away; however, this doesn’t make the 2012 revisions wrong. As the USDA web page says, the designations are not based on the minimum temp ever, but the average minimum temperatures. Nor does it mean that all plants that suffered damage should not be planted here anymore for there were many plants like arborvitae which is rated to withstand -40F that were injured this winter.
What happened this winter was not so much death by cold, but death by desiccation, particularly evergreens. Winds blowing across leaves (a pine’s needles is its leaves) dry the leaf out. When soil temperatures are above freezing, a plant replaces that moisture by drawing it from the soil. If the soil around a plant’s roots is frozen, it is not able to do that so the leaf dries out and dies. That is why most of the damage seen this spring is on evergreens.
That is also why plant experts say that evergreens need to go into winter moist and mulched. It is also suggested to spray evergreens with an anti-desiccant before winter. This hasn’t been necessary for a long time, and some people may be doing that this November.
I’m hoping though that this winter was an aberration and will become the norm. Time will tell.
Time yet?
The National Weather Service says the high today is going to be 82. Very exciting, but even more exciting is that the low for the next several days is not going to drop below 50 except for a couple nights in the forties. This means it’s beginning to get closer to that time when those blessed tomatoes can be put into the ground. Some people may be doing just that, but if you go to the National Weather Service’s Spring Thaw Dates, you’ll see there’s a gamble there.
According to them, the average last frost date for Mansfield is May 9, only one day away. Still there is still almost a 50/50 chance of frost. It is not until May 23 that there’s is only a 10 percent chance of frost. So yes, you can plant your tomatoes but given the winter and the spring we’ve had, how much of a gamble are you willing to take?
I say go for it.
Plant of the Week
Brunnera macrophylla or Siberian bugloss is the plant of the week. Although you may not recognize either name you may recognize the plant.
It is a great perennial for shade or sun with blue forget-me-not type flowers. It has a very easy going personality that even the brownest thumb can make happy. At only a foot high, it can make a nice groundcover or skirting. It spreads out and reseeds but not in an obnoxious way. What you will probably find in the garden center are the cultivars ‘Jack Frost’ or ‘Looking Glass’. Both are variegated versions and worthwhile to have in the garden. (Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’ pic)
Bloom Alert
A few years ago, the Friends of Mansfield Parks (FOMP) helped to secure a generous donation of Prairie Fire crabapples for around the lake in North Lake Park. I drove by there this week, and there must be close to a hundred of them surrounding the lake. They’re all budded up and with the temperatures this week, they should be in bloom beginning this weekend. Make the time to see it.
It should be spectacular, and if you live in Mansfield make some time for FOMP. Over the past five years they have done much to improve and preserve Manfield’s excellent parks.
Events this week
Fairy Gardens are still very popular, and Kingwood Center is offering a workshop on that subject this Saturday. You have a choice of two times. The morning session starts at 10, and the afternoon session begins at 1 p.m. For more information go to their website, or call 419-522-0211.
Although this notice might be too late since it’s past the registration deadline, you might want to check out this link anyways : http://goo.gl/tZuu11. The class is called “The Wildlife in Your Woods” and is tomorrow. It is part of the OSU Woodland Stewards program which assists people in managing their woodlots, but the classes are open to anyone. Even better, the classes are usually at OSU Mansfield.
Feel free to email me with questions, comments, or events at jmakley@centurylink.net. And remember although it’s not ok to call soil dirt, it is okay to get dirty. So dig in.
Since his days as forced labor in his mother’s garden, John has learned to enjoy gardening and has actually made a career out of it. From the backyards of Columbus to the rooftops of Manhattan, John has soiled his hands. Former Head Gardener at Kingwood Center, John still gets his hands dirty in the local community. You can contact him at jmakley@centurylink.net.
