Weather has been doing some funky stuff over the past six months. February and March brought us record rains. That’s part of the reason we had such a great show of flowers on our early spring bloomers. Dogwoods, Redbuds, and Rhododendrons never looked better. April and May were very cold months. So cold, in fact, that many tree and shrub leaves were very slow opening up. In many cases, once they did open by mid-May, some leaves frosted off and had to start growing again. June finally warmed up, but way too fast. The first two weeks of June were in the upper nineties, record heat for this time of year. The end of June turned very cool. May-type weather. I mention these fluctuations because plants hate extremes. Trees, shrubs, and perennials in our region prefer slow subtle changes, and when these extremes occur, it affects plant health. For instance, in June after the heat wave, the new leaves on some plants started to curl and look deformed. Many of us thought it was a bug problem, and started spraying pesticides. Wrong!

It’s very important to understand that as our local climate changes and goes through fluctuations, we’ll need to observe and learn how our plants are adapting to these extremes. Native plants, because they have acclimated to our soil and climate, have amazing ways of adjusting to these weather anomalies.

When a plant goes into stress because of quick weather changes, try watering first. Proper hydration helps build stronger stems and healthier leaves. Don’t fertilize plants under stress. Fertilizing a plant under stress is putting the plant under additional duress. Cut out any foliage that has been deformed or damaged because of weather stress. This will encourage healthier growth. If a plant does succumb to disease or other infestation due to weather extremes, use low-impact pesticides if necessary.

Getting to know your plants’ growing cycles and how to care for them and keep them in good health, in all types of weather conditions, can be a fun challenge.