Late Frost Damage - Ostrich Ferns - May 2020
Over the weekend, we experienced a mid-May late (and hard) frost. It has been cold for a few days ( some are calling it a polar vortex ) and it sure doesn't feel like Spring around here right now. We had ample warning on the frost - the local news was talking it up for a few days - so I sprung into action and tried to cover/protect as much as I could. Anything that was budding/on the edge of flowering, I tried to protect. That means the Rhododendrons and Disneyland Roses were covered. I also covered our new Hellebores (that I seem to have failed to post about) and even attempted to cover *part* of the Japanese cherry blossom tree that was/is mid-bloom . But, I have far too much to cover everything and it seems that I've learned a lesson here: the newly emerged, unfurled tips of Ostrich Ferns are far too delicate to deal with a hard frost. See the photo above - these things were hit pretty hard. This pair of ferns is located just to the west of the Gold Co