It's Spring in Northern Ohio and, after a few warm days last week, your outdoor trees, shrubs and bulbs are starting to show off in a colorful way. Daffodils and tulips are in full bloom for many of you. Your magnolia and flowering cherry trees are covered in a soft pink or white coat of petals. But, arctic air is set to arrive tonight and spoil the pastel party.
Frost Advisories and Freeze Warnings are up for all of Northern Ohio, meaning temperatures thru Wednesday morning will hang out in the upper 20s to middle 30s. So, will outdoor flowers survive the freeze?
Your bulbs should be fine. They are bred for extremes. Your tulips and daffodils should have no trouble surviving a cold night. The general rule of thumb is a moderate freeze is ok for bulbs in bloom as long as temperatures recover to near normal within 48 hours.
Hyacinths are slightly less hardy. They may appear a bit wilted after a freeze and their blooms may brown a bit around the edges. As for your trees, Dogwood bracts and flowers still look good after a night of sub-freezing temperatures. Cherry blossoms only last 5 to 7 days when it's warm.
After a cold, frosty night, the flowers will look a bit singed and may drop a day or two early. If your Magnolia tree is in full bloom, enjoy it while you can. Unfortunately, Magnolia flowers are prone to browning after a bitterly cold night or two. Chances are, you'll notice brown edges on all of your frozen magnolia flowers after a hard freeze.
Other perennial flowers that are not in bloom yet should not be impacted at all by a normal April frost or freeze. They will bloom normally later this Spring or Summer.
As for my least favorite flower, those dreaded dandelions... they laugh at cold. Much to my chagrin, nothing can kill them!
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