What are the white round boxes on poles in Bucks County area parks?
Purple martins arriving to Pennsylvania from the Amazon struggle with nesting places. This Upper Bucks County town stepped in to help.
Plants native to Bucks County likely survived the cold winter, but those suited for warmer climates may have struggled.The last frost in Bucks County typically occurs in mid- to late April, so gardeners should wait to plant sensitive annuals.Yellow leaves on evergreens indicate cold damage, but the dead parts will likely fall off on their own.Now is a good time to prune deciduous shrubs, hydrangeas, and roses, but wait until after spring bloomers have flowered.
We had extreme cold this winter in Bucks County. So, when is the last frost?
And will the season’s severe weather impact our delicate foliage?
Are my plants dead? How to tell if leaves are damaged by cold
Plants suited to our climate likely survived the winter, gardeners said.
Most of Bucks County is zone 7a on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s plant hardiness map, with patches of cooler 6b in Upper Bucks and warmer 7b in Lower Bucks.
But plants suited to slightly warmer climes — especially ones planted last fall, with less time to form deep roots — might have struggled.
And evergreens could have some cold damage, the nursery workers said. Look for yellow leaves on the edges. The dead parts should fall off on their own.
“They can rebound surprisingly well,” said Gary Steinberg of Fairless Hills Garden Center.
Jackie Chapman of The Garden Girl Co. in Ottsville said that if an evergreen has lost its green completely, with leaves that are milky and white, “that’s when you know the plant has died.”
When is last frost? And will my budding plants be okay?
Here in mid-March, we’re nowhere near last frost: Bucks County’s last frost tends to fall in mid- to late April, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
But it takes more than a night of 31 degrees Fahrenheit to kill off spring buds, Steinberg said — it’s not until temperatures drop into the 20s that “certain early annuals and even perennials could be at risk of losing their buds and blooms.”
Steinberg recommended starting with pansies and shrubs this early in the season, and waiting until April for more sensitive plants.
If you do have warmer-weather plants in the ground before an extra cold night, “you can cover them with a frost blanket or burlap,” he added.
As for plants in the ground that survived the winter and have already budded, “we’re in a good spot,” Chapman said, despite the recent warm spell.
“We haven’t had plants growing early enough in the season where it’s going to injure their bud,” she added, and advised people not to bring greenhouse plants outside too early.
When should I prune my plants this spring?
The rare, long-lasting snow pack we had this winter may have left some bushes and shrubs looking extra scraggly.
Removing dead or diseased parts is fine for most plants, the gardeners said, but when to prune live growth depends on the species.
Now is a good time to prune deciduous shrubs, Chapman said, as well as hydrangeas and roses.
Other plants, such as lilac, forsythia, azalea and rhododendron, are spring bloomers — wait until after they flower this season to prune, Chapman said.
The Ottsville gardener recommended pruning just above a node, ensuring that new growth is likely to bud near the top of the newly sheared plant.
Try not to take more than a third of the live bush off during pruning, Chapman said, unless you want to make it smaller.
Jess Rohan can be reached at jrohan@usatodayco.com.
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