Happy Groundhog Day

Well, the sun isn't up yet so I don't know if the groundhog will see its shadow or not.  I do know that we will likely have six more weeks of winter either way.  That's just the way it is in North Dakota.  But, once February arrives, we are able to see Spring in the distance. 

I did discover yesterday that I may have to pay for one winterizing project that didn't get completed last Fall.  My three year old Dwarf Alberta Spruce is looking a little "crispy".  While they are cute little trees that work nicely for winter color in small areas, they are very prone to winter burn in our climate.  Generally spraying them with an anti-dessicant or covering them with straw or burlap in late Fall is recommended.  I didn't get that done this year.  And my spruce is not happy about that.  I've covered it with burlap now and we'll see if it recovers come Spring. 

One of the joys / challenges of living in a harsh winter climate is waiting to see what actually survives and bursts back into life in the Spring.  Gardeners and farmers might be the only people who are actually happy to see a lot of snow, but that ground cover is vital for Spring moisture.  It is also critical to blanket the roots of perennials, trees, shrubs, and biennials from the extreme cold, and even more importantly, from the nearly continual freeze and thaw cycles we've been experiencing the past few years.  I am anticipating less winter kill this year than I saw last year, even though last year was a much milder Winter.

Last Winter, we had virtually no snow cover and such warm temperatures in January and February that many of the trees and perennials broke their dormancy.  The new growth then suffered severe damage when we had some normal Winter temperatures later in the season.  The fruit trees that break dormancy early anyway, such as apricots and pears, suffered greatly.  I lost two pear, one cherry, and all my peach trees to the mild Winter.  One apricot tree was heavily damaged but it limped along all summer.  We'll have to see how that one does this year. 

Perennials and shrubs can be protected from this by applying about 4 to 6 inches of straw or leaf mulch late in Fall, after the ground has frozen.  There isn't much that can be done to protect trees from the warm spells that last long enough to fool them into thinking it is really Spring.   You can try to minimize their vulnerability by placing them in the right planting location. 

While it seems to not make sense to plant fruit trees on the north side of your property, that is where my orchard is located.  I intentionally located it there because it is the coldest, snowiest area of my yard.  Since it stays colder there longer, I hope to prevent too early a bud break and to discourage early blooms that often get hit with crop-destroying frost.  That doesn't always protect my apricot crop.  Those apricots are just early achievers and can't wait to bloom until all danger of frost is past no matter where I put them, but it does a good job of delaying the blooms of the apples, pears, cherries and peaches.