* Pop the root ball out of the pot to see if the plant is root bound. A mass of intertwined roots around the outside of the root ball usually means it’s time to re-pot in a new pot that is at least one size larger than the old one. Before re-potting, break up the root ball to loosen entwined roots; don’t worry about breaking a few roots. Sometimes, I’ll wash the soil from the roots and then trim the roots a little before re-potting.
* Keep blooming house plants away from direct sunlight. Sunlight can heat the flowers too much and shorten their bloom time. Instead, place plants where they’ll receive indirect light or near house lights.
* Look for seeds of vegetable varieties with the All-America Selection designation, whether you are a first time vegetable gardener or a veteran gardener. These are usually surefire varieties that have been tested in field trials throughout the U.S. and Canada. I’ve grown many of these varieties over the years and they almost always yield very well, even when weather during the growing season has been less than optimal.
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Finally, it looks like “snuggle-up-with-your-honey” weather has arrived this week after a relatively mild December and early January. Yet, despite cold, wintry conditions ahead, a question that seems to be on the mind of some gardeners is: “What effects will the mild weather have on plants in the landscape, especially those plants that have started to grow?”
Started to grow? Yes! Just last week, my daughter pointed out that the furry buds, technically flower buds called catkins, on a pussy willow in our yard were swelling, a growth stage more common to March than January. Also, last week our friend and professional landscape gardener, Pat Jaquins, texted my wife a photo of hellebore in bloom at one of the properties she and her husband, Jake, maintain. Actually, this is not all that unusual. I still have vivid memories of the mild winter of 2006-07 when many plants, from spring flowering bulbs to shrubs, came into bloom in January.
So, again, the question is: how will the arrival of cold weather affect those plants already showing signs of growth?
Most bulb species are quite hardy and can take some very cold temperatures. At worst, there may be some blemishing of the foliage but the plants should survive. Nevertheless, I would advise placing pine boughs or other loose mulch over any shoots that have poked through the ground. The bulb species most likely to bloom in winter is the snowdrop. There have been many years when I’ve seen them blooming in February. Though the blossoms may be blasted by frigid temperatures, survival of the plants will not be affected.
Perennials that sent up some shoots should be okay if temperatures do not drop to extremes that approach the limits of the plants’ normal hardiness range. However, there may be some browning of these shoots from frigid temperatures. Placing mulch over the plants will protect emerged growth from further damage. The blossoms of the hellebores may be blemished by exposure to single-digit temperatures but the plants will survive.
The issue of cold damage to buds and twigs of trees and shrubs is a little more complicated. Woody plants go through two phases in preparation for winter: onset of dormancy and cold acclimation or hardening. Dormancy is brought on in response to short days in fall and decreasing temperatures. Plants then become acclimated or hardened by exposure to cooling temperatures. The depth of hardening varies among plant species and is in proportion to a plant’s exposure to cold temperatures, i.e. the colder the temperature, the more cold tolerant the plant becomes.
Since fall and early winter temperatures this year were for the most part above normal, it would seem that the depth of hardiness developed by trees and shrubs to this point is not very deep. Still, if future temperature decreases are gradual, as opposed to precipitous, the acclimation process will continue and plants may not experience any damage due to cold weather.Unseasonably mild weather this winter has prompted the premature swelling of the furry flower buds (catkins) of pussy willow.
However – and this is where it gets complicated – plants native to temperate regions have what’s called a chilling requirement, that is, they must be exposed to a certain number of hours of temperatures below 45 degrees F before they will break dormancy. Once the chilling requirement is met, plants can break dormancy very quickly as air temperatures heat up. This is when most cold related damage occurs on woody plants, which is why cold injury is more common in late winter and early spring than in mid-winter. So, with respect to woody plants it is a little too early to assess their fate.
