'Don't freak out' if perennials make early appearance

A day like Monday makes many of us wish we could fast forward to spring, but some of our plants seem to have the jump on us.

Many suburban gardeners already are seeing signs of perennial bulbs beginning to poke through the soil as if it was March instead of late December.

Not to worry, says Morton Arboretum Plant Clinic Manager Doris Taylor. Your plants, while mildly confused, will eventually figure out winter is just beginning.

“Don't freak out because you see a leaf or two. I'm no meteorologist, but I think winter has arrived and we've seen the end of those mild temperatures for a while,” Taylor said Monday afternoon. “Once the ground freezes and we get a little snow cover, those bulbs will freeze before they can begin actually flowering.

“Things are active right now because the soil temperatures have fooled the roots into thinking its warm outside.”

If Taylor's weather prediction is off and high temperatures return through January and February, then she said, “we're in trouble.”

“An elongated warm spell through the winter may eventually be just enough to get those flowers to start popping. Then we're in trouble,” she said. “If flowers start popping early and dying, the big first flowering in the spring would be in danger of not looking as pretty or as lush. But the way things are looking now, we may only experience some minor leaf damage, if any at all.”

Another thing to remember if you see your early arriving plants getting covered in snow or ice is not to be a hero.

“People see these vulnerable leaves getting covered up and their first instinct is to run out and brush them off,” Taylor said. “Don't do it. You'll start brushing and swinging things around and if they're frozen enough, they'll break off. Just let everything melt naturally and everything will be fine.”