Finches roosting outside our window.
As our record-breaking snowy winter comes to an end, all the trees, shrubs and perennials are pleased with the additional water to start the spring season. However, in Illinois the unexpected drastic fluctuations in March temperatures can still hurt plants. The worst scenario is a day in the 60's-70's followed by a heavy freeze. That harms buds in flowering trees and may cause crown rot in perennial flowers.
The crown is the point where stems are about to emerge just above the root system. When the crown has been exposed to thaw/freeze conditions, the crown gets up heaved and exposed, making it susceptible to rot.
Do not pull away any mulch protection completely or too soon. From now until the end of April you may have to keep an eye on your beds. Warm weather and then deep freeze is brutal on plants in Spring.
If you see signs of a heavy freeze after the temperature went below 25̊F and there was ½" to 1" of ice at the base of the plant, cover the bed or plant crowns with mulch. When temperatures warm again, pull the mulch back from the crown to avoid having plants rot from too much moisture.
Signs of frost on trees and shrubs will be noticeable on the buds where the moisture turned to ice when the buds were just ready to emerge. On the plant you will see emerging buds turning dark brown to black , thus stunting growth for the season or decreasing blooms on flowering trees and shrubs.
Parenting a flower means a constant observation of preparation for weather changes - much like making sure your child has gloves on a snowy day! Spring is drawing near for as I walk my gardens I see buds on trees and shrubs that almost speak to me, saying, “Be patient, I’m almost ready!”
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