the Snowless Winter?

On my other blog site I wrote a post about Minnesota having a brown Christmas. Since then we've had very unseasonably warm weather - highs in the 40s* / 4*C and lows in the 20s* / -7*C. I think there was one or two days when it was 13* / -11*C. And no snow in sight. Yesterday we hit 50*F / 10*C.

This is not normal.

Reactions to this balmy, snowless winter range from love to hate. I can understand why some may love the safe travels to far off places for Christmas and whatnot, and not having to bundle up in countless layers until you look like the kid brother in A Christmas Story.

 

And of course those who hate this winter weather are skiers, snowmobilers, ice fishers, winter carnival planners, and the like. I mean, some people look forward to a good Minnesota winter so they can do those things.

But I think there will be an outcome to this strange winter other than safer travel and empty ski resorts. What about the effects to the environment itself? Now don't worry, I'm not going to get all eco-freakish on you. What I think many people don't realize is that we are in a serious drought.

Whether you love it or not, snow is actually very important.

1. It acts as a giant blanket, insulating and protecting the soil and plants from the dangerous sub-zero temperatures we see in a standard winter. Think of wearing a nice, puffy down coat as you run to warm up your car on a -24* morning with a biting 10 mph wind.
2. The winter months are actually a time of drought. Oh, sure it snows, but how is the rock-hard frozen soil going to use a pile of frozen water? The snow melt in spring is what replenishes the water tables, rivers and lakes.

Remember last fall? We had very little rainfall, a drought was declared, as well as fire hazards. I watched numerous ponds dry up. The ground was dry, powdery and cracked. Lawns dried up. The Minnesota River is currently at least 20 feet below its banks.

Now we have no snow.

The warm temperatures aren't helping either. One of our maple trees already has leaf buds swelling. If it continues to stay this warm, it's very possible the trees could leaf out in February!

My biggest fear is if we suddenly get the sub-zero temperatures that January and February are famous for with no snow cover. Remember Point 1 about snow being a blanket? Getting sub-zero temps without that blanket would be as dangerous to the plants as it would be for you to sit outside in the same weather wearing only shorts and a t-shirt. And equally as fatal.

Here's what I think will happen if we get sub-zero temps and no snow:

1. Any swelled leaf buds will die. The trees and shrubs will either set more and leaf out considerably later in summer, or not set anymore at all which will cause the plant to be weaker and more susceptible to diseases and insects.
2. The root systems of plants (trees, flowers, lawns) will be damaged significantly, making them weaker and slower to grow in the spring, or just outright kill them.
3. No snow melt will cause a spring drought, adding even more stress to the plants already damaged by the excessive cold.

Many people are singing the praises of this very mild winter. I disagree; we are potentially in a very dangerous situation. If this weather continues, those same people will complain the loudest about the inevitable drought.

Out in the Cold

I enjoy reading mainstream gardening magazines. There are neat gardening tricks submitted by other subscribers, and I can glean some neat design ideas. Most of the time I end up wishing my yard looked like the ones in the fabulous pictures.

But when it comes to plant suggestions for that odd corner in the yard or the curb appeal revamp, I usually end up feeling left out. Clearly the magazines are written by people who do not live any further north than Zone 5. This ends up leaving us in all points north, well, out in the cold. Usually these magazines are good at offering alternatives, such as substituting winterberry for holly. But could you just help me out a little on finding a replacement for Sarcococca? I don't even know what that is!

Just today I was reading an article about which roses developed by a certain person are suitable for the various regions in the U.S. The little map for the "Cold Midwest, Northeast and Mountain West" shaded in states and provinces that were in Zones 2-5.

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Of the five roses suggested, one was a Zone 4; the rest were Zone 5. What about the rest of us? You included them in your little map! You even have cold in the blessed title! Why bother implying that people in Zone 2 might be able to have this really neat plant if you're not going to list a plant that will live in Zone 2? Sorry Canada, I guess you're out of luck.

My favorite one is about over-wintering pansies. Who wouldn't like to have their pansies from last fall pop up in the spring? Then I got to this sentence: "In photo A you can see how I pulled back the mulch in late February so plants won't rot."

Oh, to be able to do anything related to gardening in February!

I don't know about you, but here in Zone 4, pulling back mulch in late February is going to require:

a snow shovel,

and a jack hammer.

No Taming the Tiger

Few plants are as indestructible as sumac. Tough as nails, it will grow anywhere, you can't dig it up (without a backhoe, that is), you certainly can't pull any of the suckers up, cut it down and it grows right back. It lines roadsides, stabilizes slopes, and puts on a fabulous color show in autumn. There is just one problem - it suckers like it's trying to take over the world. Maybe it is.

For decades the main sumacs available were staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina),

and smooth sumac (Rhus glabra).

These two species sucker like the dickens. This trait has historically hurt sumac's retail nursery sales; unless you were the DOT or had a back forty where it could roam happily, very few "average homeowners" every bought the plant.

The only other alternative was Gro-Low Sumac (Rhus aromatica 'Gro-Low').

Definitely more landscapable than staghorn or smooth, but Gro-Low still tends to create colonies as well. 

Enter Tiger Eyes Sumac (Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger').

Not only is Tiger Eyes much smaller (6 feet / 1.8 m high & wide) than staghorn and smooth sumac (both 10 feet / 3 m high and colonizing) it has bright yellow foliage with a slight cutleaf...

oooh....

and a bright orange fall color to boot.

ahhh...

And the best part? It doesn't sucker! What? That's amazing! The general gardening public instantly fell in love and garden centers could barely keep the plant stocked. Tiger Eyes was planted in garden beds, next to front doors, and generally showcased as the featured specimen in countless landscapes. I was working at a garden center when Tiger Eyes was released in 2004-2005 and readily admitted that it was a beautiful plant. But my eyebrows certainly raised when I heard the claim of it being sucker-less. It's a sumac; suckering is what sumacs do. My manager shared my skepticism and said that only time will tell.

Fast forward about four years.

Hey! What's that near my Tiger Eyes sumac? There's another one. And another! Is that....? It is! A baby Tiger Eyes sumac. Yes, the Wonder Sumac that doesn't sucker, does in fact sucker, and is beginning to set up colonies, even popping up on the other side of sidewalks.

:::cough::: I told you so.

Granted, Tiger Eyes does not sucker as aggressively as the species, so it is more manageable. Besides, if your landscaping allows it, a bonus Tiger Eyes is always great. The new plant coming up from the sucker is essentially a clone of the parent plant, so it will share all the ornamental features that Tiger Eyes boasts.

Recently a new highway was built in my area. Last year they completed the landscaping of the berms, hills, and clover leaf centers. Naturally they used staghorn sumac. But I couldn't help but notice the new addition to the DOT plant pallette:

Tiger Eyes Sumac.

*all photos are courtesy of Google Images.

Takes and Lickin' and Keeps on Tickin'

In a previous post I made mention of tulips that had been the victims of siding installer trampling. It was an non-standard siding job; the majority of the siding was put up, but we had to finish the woodwork on the porch before the rest of the siding could be completed. Last fall the siding guys came back to complete the last of the siding.

And destroyed the White Diamond hydrangea on either side of the steps. Broke every branch to the ground, leaving a pathetic pitiable stump.

I found pictures with the broken hydrangea in the background. I didn't take deliberate pictures of the carnage; it was too upsetting.

The remains of the hydrangea is to the right of the tulips.
If you follow the stem back to the base you will see tiny buds of new growth.

You can make out the rest of this hydrangea just above the pink tulip on the left.

I mean, really, can they not see them? Did they not feel any of the branches poking their legs as they ran into them? Did they not realize that that odd crunching sound under their boots was a bad thing? Are all construction workers really that oblivious to their surroundings?  Or is it just this company? Because this is not the first time they have done this. (see above referenced post).

Slight aside of further proof of this obliviousness epidemic: I had a large order of spruce tops delivered to a client's house. The pseudo-emo kid who brought them not only just tossed them willy-nilly out the end of the truck, but tossed them so they landed squarely on the Astilbe I was leaving up for fall/winter interest. When I asked him to please not throw the spruce tops on the plants, he looked at me and said vacantly, "Oh, those are plants?" Uh, yeah! What did you think they were, a loading dock?

(In order not to vilify all construction workers, one of my clients had their home re-shingled by an amazing group of workers. They put tarps over the gardens below the part of the roof where they were working. They made a point of avoiding shrubs and trees when they tossed down the old shingles. They picked up nearly every nail and scrap of shingle; I think I found only a single handful of debris they missed. I was so grateful for their hard work and dedication to excellence on their job site. I just wish my clients could remember the company's name so I can send them business!)

As a runner of a business, and as someone who actually works out in the field, this lack of awareness and responsibility is unacceptable. If I were to lose control of a loaded wheelbarrow and it ran into the side of the client's car, I would pay to have it fixed. If while digging a hole I cut the buried cable that was two feet away from where the cable company marked it should be, I would pay to have it fixed (even though it was clearly the fault of the cable installers who can't measure or read a plan).

In short, if I damage something on my client's property, it is my responsibility to notify my client and pay for the repairs. The siding guys didn't even notice they damaged anything until we called them on it and asked them to be a little more careful. In regards to the tulips, they simply shrugged and said "Oh, they'll grow back." Yes, they did grow back....two or three years later. We actually didn't tell them they crushed the hydrangea because we were tired of dealing with them and knew by the reputation they were earning that they wouldn't do anything about it. We would just eat the $50 to replace them.

(Ok, rant over. And yes, I do feel better.)

Now add insult and injury to injury - snow. This winter was non-stop snow storms. And the snow in the sidewalk and the snow building up on the porch roof had to go somewhere. Namely, in the spot where the broken hydrangeas were. There really wasn't much choice; we were quickly running out of places to put all the snow. In the spring these hard-packed piles were among the last to melt. I figured the weight of the snow and the lack of sun and warmth would be the final death knell of those poor, abused hydrangea. In an effort to rescue them, I hit and broke one of the remaining branches with the shovel. Great.

But when things started growing again, I was astonished to see the crippled White Diamond hydrangea with new shoots. They looked a little ragged and sparse at first, but they kept growing. And they are now in full bloom! They actually look really good! They are a little leggy right now, but I plan on pruning them to encourage lateral branching.

This is the hydrangea from the first photo above, and received the severest damage.

This is the hydrangea from the second photo above,
and is clearly in much better shape.

In all honesty, I truly thought these hydrangea were goners. I guess it's a testament to the tenacity of plants and how important a good root system is!

But I would have preferred them not to be put to the test in the first place.