Near-freezing forecasts got you frantic this week? Relax. That’s official.
“There’s not that much right now to worry about with the exception of some of the fruit trees. Some of the peaches and some of the plums and cherries might not produce as much,” said Alison O’Connor, horticulture agent for Colorado State University Extension.
But: “Eh, you know? We get this,” she said.
Panayoti Kelaidis, senior curator at the Denver Botanic Gardens, describes such climactic hiccups as a welcome to Front Range newcomers.
“The only reason one would panic is one is fresh to Colorado. This is par for the course, and we should learn to expect it.”
What’s a gardener to do?
• Perennials: If you moved the mulch completely off of them, you might want to move it back, O’Connor said.
• Trees: If we get more than 4 inches of snow, branches could break. Gently broom off snow loads, Kelaidis said.
• “If you went crazy and put out your warm-season stuff, you might want to bring it in,” O’Connor said. That includes vegetable starts or other less-cold-hardy young plants bought on the balmy weekend.
Finally, take advantage. “It’s still a good time to think about getting peas, onions, potatoes in the ground,” O’Connor said.
Pansies, snapdragons and iceland poppies are among many species that will love this cold (and hopefully wet) spell, Kelaidis suggested. The same goes for many bulbs.
