Aaah! Snow is killing everything!

3-25-13 I woke up this morning to snow covering my freshly bloomed Forsythias and everything else. Gross! This is going to set me back on blooms, berries and all other good things. So, I started gathering buckets, blankets and bags to start the long process of covering everything for protection.

The temperature outside was not yet below freezing so I went ahead and watered all my plants with warm water, which then melted the snow around the base of the plant. After all the water soaked in I wrapped a small light blanket around the base of the plant. Then I placed a bucket over the top of the plants to protect from temperature drops this evening and from snow fall all day. I place bricks on top of my buckets because we are expecting high winds so I didn't want to have to go collect all my buckets from the neighbors yards later : )

 This is my blueberry plant under the covering of a bucket with a light blanket wrapped around the base of the plant.

Plants that were too tall to be place under my bucket I watered with warm water, then wrapped a blanket around the base of the plant. Then I used plastic bags to cover the plants loosely. I have read that the plastic touching the plants can transfer freezing temps to the plant, but I am hoping the plastic will not be needed for an extended period of time and can soon be removed. Your goal is to create a pocket of air around the plant that is protected to some degree from the weather on the outside.

This is my Lilac wrapped in a towel and bags.

These are my Hyacinths, Daffodils, and Grape Hyacinths under a light blanket held down by bricks.






3-26-13 After leaving the bags on my lilacs from 9am Monday morning to 1:30pm Tuesday afternoon (so about 28 hours) the lilacs had survived the late snow, but there was quite a bit of condensation inside the bags. The parts of the lilac buds that were touching the bag had already started to rot a tiny bit. I think they will be fine with a little sunshine but, my conclusion is the bags worked well in protecting the plants for a short period of time. Ideally 12 hours is  preferable and I'd say 24 hours is pushing it for damaging the plant. The buckets and blankets on the other hand I have left on plants in cold spells for 48 hours with no damage at all, because they are more breathable. 

Here are some helpful websites that I gleaned some information from:

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/tips-for-saving-cold-damaged-plants.htm

http://www.helium.com/items/1278743-how-to-protect-your-early-spring-garden-from-a-late-snow-storm

http://www.onlinegardener.com/pdf/How%20to%20Protect%20your%20Plants%20from%20Winter.pdf

http://www.todayshomeowner.com/how-to-protect-your-garden-from-frost-and-freeze/