Wacky Weather and Your Frozen Plants
Longmont, Colorado area landscaping {Monthly Series: May 2026}
When weather throws a curveball and is very warm early in the season and then we get sudden and late season (May) freezing temperatures and heavy, wet snowfall, there are a few things to do to help the situation. However, for the most part, mother nature will do her thing, regardless of what we try to do to prevent her wrath. This year was no exception. Warm and dry from December through April, with some of the warmest March and April temperatures on record, left us with plants that had leafed out, flowered, and were getting ready for summer temperatures when all of a sudden, BAM!, in comes the cold front and 7” of heavy wet snow. We needed the moisture desperately. Branches of trees were weighted down heavily, many broke completely, shrubs full of leaves were flattened to the ground. And now, plummeting temperatures after the storm on a clear calm night might just be the death knell for some. What’s a gardener to do in our Longmont Colorado landscapes?
A little preplanning will help. A little active tree and shrub tending during the storm will help. Covering, wrapping, and possibly gravity draining the irrigation system will help. Having a sharp chainsaw (electric?) and/or a good bow saw handy will help. A few upside-down pots here and there will help. But, in the end, you can’t shake the snow off a tree that is 40’ tall, or cover a shrub that is 8’ high and wide. A few perennials that might be tender can be covered, and your vegetable gardens can be covered. So, the good news is that most trees, shrubs, and perennials are a lot more hardy and stronger than you think. Yes, branches can break, but they can be pruned cleanly after the storm. And, they will rebound if flattened to the ground. It might just take a year and some good filler growth to make the plants look right again. Those that do survive the “BAM!”, will do better the next time we get a “BAM!” Take heart that you are not alone. More storms will come, some with wind, some with snow, some with hail, some with glow (fire), but the plants that make it will be that much stronger. Finally, whatever happens, happens and it will be OK. Press forward comrade.
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