The Ozarks is known for weather that can drastically change from one day to another. The recent unseasonably cold weather left many gardens in a state of shock. In my own garden I have daylily leaves that look like they have been sunburned, sedums that appear to have melted and blueberries that are turning the colors of autumn.
The good news is that cold weather vegetables like broccoli, spinach and lettuce will actually produce better with the more seasonable cool weather. The bad news is what looked to be a beautiful, early spring is probably going to be one of the less remarkable on record when it comes to beauty.
Many trees and shrubs have lost their leaves due to the freezing temperatures. Some of the leaves appear to have turned to mush on the limbs. This “mush” will eventually fall off, but the result is that new leaves will regenerate even later than the tree or shrub would usually leaf out.
Do not cut back limbs or branches that are drooping right now. These trees and shrubs need the interior wood to help them regenerate new leaves.
In some cases, the flowers on trees like dogwoods may be greatly diminished, if not completely destroyed this spring. The new foliage may be a little more sparse than it has been in previous years. However, all of the affected trees will eventually grow new leaves.
Many perennials, which are cold-hardy plants, sent out new growth with the unseasonably warm weather. Some perennials survived the freezing temperatures better than others. Unsightly “frozen” growth can be cut off. Dead plant material can also be lightly raked off the plant. Removing the dead plant material should prevent rot from setting into the crown of the plant.
Perennials plants will send out new growth as soon as temperatures warm up again. Perennials should also regenerate green growth faster than the trees and shrubs.
Don’t fertilize right now. Plants are already stressed by the cold weather damage, and fertilization will just further stress the plants.
Watering, even if plants look wilted, is not necessary unless there’s continual dryness for more than a week. So far, we’ve continued to receive moisture, so all the plants should be well hydrated.
If you were a gardener that let the warm March weather seduce you into buying annual plants, you will need to replace them. They cannot survive weather that drops below freezing, and most of them won’t even grow when temperatures drop below 55 degrees Farenheit.
The average day of the last frost in central Missouri is April 15. In any given year, the last frost can be two weeks before or two weeks later than April 15. Depending upon the location of your garden in the Ozarks, that date may differ, too. No matter how much we as gardeners try to control in the landscape around us, the weather will always do whatever it wishes.