Did Middle Tennessee’s winter storm affect plants?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The winter storm has come and gone, but just a few plants were harmed once the snow melted. Quite the difference when compared to the rubble that was left after the arctic cold wave that moved through in December 2022.
Austin Lohin, a horticulturist at Bates Nursery, explained that there was a significant difference in this year’s winter weather and the Dec. 2022 event. The cold snap that came that December had temperatures dropping from seasonal to the single digits very quickly. This shocked plants and many were killed in the process.
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The event in Jan. 2024 brought inches of snow to the region which blanketed plants. Snow acted as an insulator keeping plants around 32 degrees, so much less damage was done.
Lohin said that this is a wonderful time for planting trees because once you water them once, you won’t have to again until later this summer. It’s why he recommends planting now rather than in summer when watering will be more mandatory.
With more rain on the way, Mother Nature will do her job with the plants so you don’t have to. He recommends cherry trees and trees that blossom so they will be in bloom by the spring.
However, planting a vegetable garden is out of the cards because it is still too cold. He said if you want to go ahead and plan your garden and drop some seeds that would still be a clever idea.
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If you are still looking for a Valentine’s Day gift—a shrub of roses. This way your valentine can have roses all year long instead of just a bouquet. Lohin said you can get a shrub and plant it in your yard. If you are worried about another freeze, he said that dormant plants will be fine, it’s new foliage that could be burned by frost.
If a rose bush sounds too intimidating now, Lohin said, at the beginning of April, Bates Nursery will have any type of rose you could imagine!
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