Frost and plants
 

We had very strange weather, first it was very warm for couple of
weeks, so plants started coming out outside, and then temperatures
went down and it was even snowing once. Everything pretty much
survived, however my daylilies look kind of strange - their leaves'
ends are almost white and some are like wrinkled. Did anyone have the
same experience, or do you think the daylilies will be ok?
Thanks.

Frost and plants
 

Violet wrote:

We had very strange weather, first it was very warm for couple of
weeks, so plants started coming out outside, and then temperatures
went down and it was even snowing once. Everything pretty much
survived, however my daylilies look kind of strange - their leaves'
ends are almost white and some are like wrinkled. Did anyone have the
same experience, or do you think the daylilies will be ok?
Thanks.

established plants? ok. new sprouts. probably
also ok if they are still alive at all. i don't
think there is anything that will seriously kill
day lillies short of the next ice-age.

i have some damage on the ends of some garlic,
alfalfa, etc from the frosts, but i doubt it
will do much longer term harm.

the plants to worry about are things that are
newly sprouted which have no cold hardyness naturally
and any warm weather plants that are set out (okra,
tomato, peppers, etc.) and of course, things that
are flowering if they will bloom only the one time.


songbird

Frost and plants
 

On May 1, 8:44*pm, songbird wrote:
Violet wrote:
We had very strange weather, first it was very warm for couple of
weeks, so plants started coming out outside, and then temperatures
went down and it was even snowing once. *Everything pretty much
survived, however my daylilies look kind of strange - their leaves'
ends are almost white and some are like wrinkled. *Did anyone have the
same experience, or do you think the daylilies will be ok?
Thanks.

* established plants? *ok. *new sprouts. *probably
also ok if they are still alive at all. *i don't
think there is anything that will seriously kill
day lillies short of the next ice-age.

* i have some damage on the ends of some garlic,
alfalfa, etc from the frosts, but i doubt it
will do much longer term harm.

* the plants to worry about are things that are
newly sprouted which have no cold hardyness naturally
and any warm weather plants that are set out (okra,
tomato, peppers, etc.) and of course, things that
are flowering if they will bloom only the one time.

* songbird

Oh, thanks! I hope the daylilies will be fine, just I never saw them
like this. It's old plants, like 3-4 year old.

Frost and plants
 

Violet wrote:

We had very strange weather, first it was very warm for couple of
weeks, so plants started coming out outside, and then temperatures
went down and it was even snowing once. Everything pretty much
survived, however my daylilies look kind of strange - their leaves'
ends are almost white and some are like wrinkled. Did anyone have the
same experience, or do you think the daylilies will be ok?

My plants experienced the same here in the Catskills, a little frost
is not killing to hardy and established perennials like daylilies...
the plants simply go back into winter hibernation and wait for warmer
weather. Some plants will accrue some frostbite damage but with new
growth those few bits will quickly slough off unnoticed. In fact that
type of exposure makes plants stronger.

Daylillies leaves look 'sickly' during winter where temperatures often fall below freezing. They don't die, but their new growth is continually ruined by freezing temperatures. They simply keep trying to grow but cannot do so. This is normal and does not impair the health of the plant.

I always leave my parsnips in the ground till the spring thaw. It's a
very old New England practice and gives you very sweet parsnips in
spring. I've never had any problem with this, so I plan to leave my
parsnips in the ground till the spring thaw.