Subject: Help! Frozen Flowers in Colorado!

From: [email-masked] (Bill Pulliam)
Date: 3 Mar 1995 21:13:07 GMT

Well, it had to happen.  After a ridiculously mild winter that
coaxed the crocus, tulips, and daffodils out of the ground WAY
too early, we're finally getting some real winter weather here
in eastern Colorado.  Many of the crocus were already in full
bloom, and some of the others were well advanced and budding.
I buried them under mulch and shoveled extra snow on them, but
this morning after the snow melted back the blooms and leaves 
looked like lettuce that had been put in the freezer!  Worse
yet, the snow is now gone but the cold nights (down to single
digits F) aren't, so they're even more unprotected now.

So, what should I do to my poor frozen plants now to save their
little green lives?  I can accept that I've probably lost some
of this years bloom forever, but I don't want to lose the bulbs
themselves.  Some things that come to mind:

If I deadhead the frozen buds, will this encourage the plants
to try to flower again, and would this be bad for them if they
did it?

Should I just trim all the freeze-damaged foliage and let them
start again with new greenery, or should I let them recover
what they can from the damaged leaves and heal without my help?

When it warms up again, should I water or withhold water?  Which
is better for frost-damaged plants?

I checked my various reference books, and found surprisingly 
little advice on rescuing frozen early spring bulbs.  I know
these things are hardy, but a drop from 75F to 15F in 24 hours 
is more than just about anything can take!

And they were all looking so happy, having multiplied last summer
and overwintered nicely...sigh.

Thanks for any advice you've got,

Bill Pulliam
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (StanfordLG)
Date: 3 Mar 1995 22:16:17 -0500

Your crocus are fine - stop smothering them...they need to breath.  They
will actually come up through the snow and bloom.  Anything else needs
more mulch for protection though.  Another interesting project - when the
temerature drops so fast - is to case them in ice....  When the
temperature gets around 20, start watering them slowly.  Continue to add
water until they are encased in a frozen mass.  This will ensure that
their temp. does not drop below freezing.  If they die back just let them
- wait until later this spring, and treat them like you would any other
year.  This will happen from time to time over the years, and the bulbs
themselves are probably O.K.  They will come back next year.

Stanford

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From: Paula M Craft <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 5 Mar 1995 16:59:50 -0700

This is SUCH an annual rite in Montana that I am almost too jaded to 
reply.  Even as I write, six inches of tulip greens are covered by four 
inches of snow with temps dipping to single digits every night.  We don't 
lose much but I bet the bloom if affected at least some.  My experience 
is that most plants and bulbs manage to survive and even put on a fair 
bloom show.  Your mention of crinkled leaves does give me pause, mine are 
not and I don't think I have ever seen that even in some pretty extreme 
temp drops.  When we have lost stuff, it seems to be due more to 
dehydrating winds than cold.  Areas with wind protection hold up better. 
This may not be helpful, but hang in there.  I would be willing to bet 
they will return next year (and probably get nailed again).

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From: Paula M Craft <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 5 Mar 1995 16:59:50 -0700