"Patience" Is The Key Word

"Patience" is the key word after a winter that we just experienced. There are many landscape plants that take a cold, snowy and windy winter harder than others. In many cases, patience will be required to let these plants show their new growth and beauty in your landscape once again. For example, let's look at some plants that we've received many calls about that will require your patience and weeks of consistent warm weather to flush back out again (typically mid-June).

Otto Luyken Cherry Laurels

Note the wind damaged leaves on the left which will eventually fall off, but on the right we see that it is pushing out new promise of leaves and flowers as well. Once the temperatures stay in the 80's this plant will flush out with many new leaves and look brand new! This holds true for Skip Laurels as well.

Itea

Itea's took it especially hard this winter. Although a deciduous flowering shrub, in previous years they have flushed out new growth before late April. This year however, they have been slow to regain new leaves. You can see though on the right that given the patience it requires it is now beginning to show promise of new growth.

Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental Grasses typically do not show a lot of growth in early spring. This year is no different especially with the cooler temperatures we've had this spring. Given time and patience and much warmer weather, grasses will once again show new foliage. Have you cut back last years growth yet? If not, you will want to do this now to further promote the new growth to rise to the occasion once the temperatures remain consistently warm and the soil temperatures warm up as well.

There are other landscape plants that will require your patience as well this year for example:

Redbuds

Zelkova

Oaks

Honey Locusts

Are you seeing winter damage on other plants in your landscape such as Hollies, Rhododendrons, Andromeda's?

Click here to view common plants that will require patience and prolonged warmer weather to show improvement.