Eisshh!! It sure has been a blerrie cold Winter!! We had such a cold snap in July with really mean frost. According to our records, that was the heaviest frost since the black frost of 21st August 2003. So you don't need to worry every Winter, because these heavy frosts only occur every ten to eleven years or so!
So what to do after a heavy frost, when you wake up in the morning and find your beautiful plants frazzled to within a few millimetres of their lives. First thing you do it get out a bottle of brandewyn or "OBs" and pour yourself a stiff tot. After you've knocked that back and you still don't feel better, then the more emotional ones among you are welcome to shed a tear or two. Okay then, lets get over it, this is Mother Nature doing what she does, cleaning up the neighbourhood.
There are numerous opinions on what to do after frost damage. For plants that naturally occur in cold areas, these cool temperatures will invigorate them to spring into life in the Spring. Our peach tree has, over the last few days, burst into blossom. I had better prune it! Early peaches do very well in Hilton and no spraying is needed.
For perennials, such as agapanthus, clivias and ajugas, trim or pull off the frost burnt leaves to make them look better and allow for the new growth to come through. If your perennial is completely burnt, then trim off all the leaves at the base. Doing this before the new growth starts, makes it easier to do without damaging the new leaves.
Shrubs, such as fuchsias, will lose most, if not all of their leaves. You can let those leaves dry out completely and fall off the plant. There will soon be signs of life and tiny shoots will appear. The next step is to prune back to just above those new shoots. You will find that thin and weaker stems may be dead. The good this is that only the most robust stems will survive. I find that feeding with a gentle, slow release organic fertiliser, such as mature chicken manure, plus a liquid feed (worm wee or Seagro), will give the plants a good boost.
If you haven't mulched around your plants, there is still time to do it. Water well first, spread a good layer of compost and then about 20% chicken manure in proportion to the compost and lastly cover with pine bark mulch (or other suitable medium). This mulch gives the plants a constant feed, keeps the roots warm in the cold and cool in the heat, promotes good earthworm and other beneficial soil microbes, plus reduces weed growth. So it's a good thing to do!
When you compost/mulch your roses, it is best to loosen the soil around the plants first. This is particularly important in the Hilton area where drainage for roses can be problematic. I hope you have pruned your roses by now.
If you are planning to plant up some new beds or need to replace some plants that didn't make the cold winter, then you need to get to our annual Spring Sale. This will be held from Friday, 29th August, to Sunday, 7th September 2014 (9am to 4pm daily) and we will be offering a 10% discount on all purchases.
Due to increasing petrol costs etc, we have to increase the price of our compost, chicken manure, potting mix and bark mulch, with effect from 29th August 2014. So if you would like to benefit from the old price, there is still time to do so.
From Tanglewood Nursery in Hilton.