Did you hear about the guy who was afraid his precious tree was dead? It finally budded, which was a major re-leaf.

Northern winters separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to trees, shrubs and perennials. Even hardy, well-adapted varieties can suffer injury in certain winters if Mother Nature deals the wrong hand.

Without a crystal ball, we don’t know what next winter holds. Some winters are plant-friendly, with landscape plants and perennial flowers coming through the season in peak form. Other winters are so severe, even hardy perennials like peonies and hostas are damaged or killed.

We can’t predict winter weather and all the intricacies that affect plant survival, but we can take steps to minimize potential damage, sort of like an insurance policy. November is the time to take action.

Several combinations of winter weather are most damaging to plants, which can guide our attack protection plan. “Open winters” where we get little insulating snow, when accompanied by cold temperatures, push the cold deep into the ground, easily damaging plants that would otherwise survive.

Without the insulation of snow, the soil can freeze and thaw, breaking the roots and creating a lifting action that lifts shallow-rooted perennials out of the ground. A few of our own irises had “loaded” in the snow-free weather of last winter, and were found above ground when spring arrived.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Even the sun, which we normally think of as our winter friend, can cause damage to plants as it reflects off the glistening snow. Intense reflection can burn evergreen needles and thaw the southern and western sides of the tree’s bark, breaking the cells of the tree’s trunk as the sun sets and temperatures drop at nightfall. Fruit trees are particularly susceptible to this “winter sunburn” trunk injury.

Winter wind is also potentially damaging, and plants dislike howling winds more than humans. Bitter winds dry up the buds and twigs of deciduous trees and shrubs and dry up evergreen needles.

Rabbits and deer soon start looking for alternative foods when their supply of summer greens is gone. The tasty bark of fruit trees, roses and landscape shrubs provides a tempting buffet. The soft, lush foliage of evergreen arborvitaes is decadent chocolate for deer and rabbits, and they devour it with reckless abandon.

To minimize all these winter threats, the following is a November risk management plan:

• While the ground is still unfrozen, give your trees, shrubs and perennials a slow, deep soaking if you’ve missed recent rains. An inch of rain doesn’t penetrate very deep into soil that has been affected by drought, so another good watering before the soil freezes wouldn’t hurt. Well-hydrated plants are less prone to winter drying.
• To prevent winter sunburn of smooth-skinned trees such as apples, wrap them now. A variety of tree wraps and tubes are available at garden centers. I prefer tree wrap on a roll, which can protect tree trunks of all sizes and spiral easily between lower branches.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

• Rabbits and deer have clear preferences for the plants they consume in winter, including arborvitae, burning bush euonymus, roses, fruit trees, hydrangeas, and others. Although no repellent is foolproof, frequent applications of Liquid Fence or Plantskydd can deter feeding. Chicken wire or other fencing, held high if the snow depth increases, is the surest way to deter rabbits.
• Mulch is a great winter temperature moderator, serving several purposes. A protective winter mulch can be piled around perennials and roses to provide insulation if we have an open winter with exposed soil and light snow. A 5-inch layer of mulch around trees, shrubs, vines and other landscape plants moderates winter soil temperature, minimizes freeze and thaw damage, and provides weed control and moisture retention next spring.