Just Askin': What will the effects of December's winter storm be on gardens?

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December's winter storm wreaked havoc on Middle Tennessee last year causing power outages, dangerous roadways, flight cancellations, and single digit weather. Among those affected and left most vulnerable, was Tennessee's vegetation.

Question: What will the effects of December’s zero degree weather be on plants and gardens this spring?

Answer: Business owner and gardener of 30 years, Brooke Giannetti, said we won't know the effects until spring arrives. However, there are steps we can take to protect our plants from harsh weather conditions in the future.

Giannetti is the owner of Patina Home and Garden in Leiper's Fork. Together with her husband, Steve Giannetti, they design gardens for clients in Tennessee and California.

"Plants are just like us, plants adapt. But because it happened so quickly that may be where we get into some problems," she said.

U.T. Extension Agent, Amy Dunlap, said that plants are normally able to adapt as the temperatures gradually drop. However with the drastic drop in temperature, they weren't able to do so and were left defenseless.

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"What happens in the cells is the water freezes inside them and they can actually burst, so they don't have that winter preparation that they might otherwise have," she said.

U.T. Extension is a part of the University of Tennessee Knoxville Institute of Agriculture, providing educational services and resources in agriculture and horticulture in all 95 counties of Tennessee.

But it's not just the winter storm to blame, the brutal summer heat also heavily impacted plants.

"The unprecedented drought and heat temperatures that we experienced over the summer, it left plants in an already stressed state. So if they're not healthy going into winter, for one its already a big issue experiencing the freeze, but they're already weakened by the drought and the heat conditions that we saw over the summer," said Dunlap.

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So what can be done to best prepare gardens for harsh weather conditions?

Dunlap recommends supplemental watering during summer and using a type of wind break during winter, like a sheet or cloth.

What about perennials?

They need to be adequately watered and fertilized throughout the summer, however people should refrain from pruning the plants as they enter dormancy. Pruning in late fall causes the plant to flush out new growth leaving it very susceptible to winter freeze.

Pruning a plant immediately after a freeze should also be avoided, as it will only leave an exposed wound which could invite in pests or disease. It is recommended to wait and access the damage sometime in mid-April, as sometimes dead foliage can help insulate plants from another possible cold front.

For those who are interested in starting a garden, it is important to source from reliable nurseries to ensure the quality of the plants entering the landscape, as well as researching the types of plants, said Dunlap.

"Native plants are great, they're very well adapted to the environment. Also different cultivars are coming out that are maybe a little bit more tolerant to our environment," she said.

And while some things may not have survived the harsh winter storm, Giannetti believes it is an opportunity to create a different type of beauty.

"Gardens are always in evolution and changing, you're in a relationship with Mother Nature," she said.

Reach Diana Leyva at Dleyva@gannett.com or on Twitter at @_leyvadiana

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Nashville's deep freeze will affect plants, gardens this spring