The extreme cold this past week was a wakeup call that winter is indeed here. Fluctuating temperatures can take a toll on plants, especially newly planted trees and shrubs. Warm weather earlier this week only exacerbated the problem. Even acclimated plants can often have some degree of cold damage.

Cold damage may occur immediately, or it may not manifest itself until late spring or early summer. Windy conditions on cold sunny days often burns evergreen trees and shrubs. Leaf margins and tips of camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas are often victims of leaf burn or scorch.

So, the big question is what can we do to protect our landscape plants?

• Select plants that are hardy to our region. Many of our plants are marginal (example-gardenias) and burn easily with temperature extremes.
• Apply at least 6 inches of coarse mulch to insulate and conserve moisture during the winter months.
• Avoid fertilizing shrubs and trees in late summer or early autumn with excessive nitrogen. However, plants need to be healthy. It is very important to  keep plants well fertilized and free from insects and disease.
• Avoid pruning in fall and early winter. Pruning stimulates growth which is often killed with late frosts and freezes. Many crape myrtles have been killed outright by excessive fall pruning.
• Keep plants irrigated during late summer and fall to prevent drought stress. Drought-like conditions predispose plants to winter injury and cankers.
• Pack potted plants close together and mulch or mound soil around pots and balled and burlapped plants to help insulate their roots.

Darrell Blackwelder is the retired horticulture agent and director with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County. Contact him at deblackw@ncsu.edu .