Plant Protection
Growing Fruits and Flowers
Apples and pears are the easiest fruits to grow in our area. Choose early, mid-season, and late varieties for a continuous harvest from late summer into winter. Fill your winter garden with color from primroses and pansies.
Roses should be pruned in February near the end of the dormant season. You can clean them up now by removing all the old leaves on and around the plants. Start seeds of perennial flowers like columbine, coreopsis, and echinacea.
Protecting Plants from Freezing Weather
Plants vary in the amount of cold they can tolerate. While zinnias are killed by frost, pansies thrive in cold and will even bloom under snow. Some evergreen shrubs—like jasmine vines, fuchsias, citrus, and fragrant rhododendrons—are damaged by severe winter cold, but protective measures can help.
- Watering: Keeping plants well-watered is critical in freezing weather. Container plants are especially vulnerable to drying out (desiccation).
- Mulching: A two-inch mulch keeps soil from freezing, allowing roots to absorb water. Dry soil and cold temperatures can severely damage evergreen trees and shrubs.
- Covering: Traps ground heat to prevent frost damage. Use a plastic tent or lightweight fabric like Harvest-Guard. Avoid direct contact with leaves to prevent freezing. Secure fabric against wind.
- Moving: Relocate tender plants to sheltered spots (porches, eaves, under trees). Keep them watered if they won’t receive rain.
- Anti-transpirant spray: Products like Cloud Cover form a protective film to reduce water loss from foliage. Spray when temperatures are above 40°F; lasts about four months in cold weather.
- Snow: A light snow (2–3 inches) insulates plants. Heavy, wet snow can cause damage—shake off excess carefully to retain some protective cover.
Combine these methods for maximum protection of tender plants.