I have every compassion for you that are now dealing with this kind of event. 2007 we were in much the same boat. EVERYTHING was leafed out. Oaks were flowering. Maples were leaf covered. Honeysuckle flowering. Ginkgo was growing, etc. Nothing left even in the budding stage, with Butterflies everywhere. Then 12F killed it all, and many plants were killed out right. Black forest are not a pretty scene. Hope it all turns out better for you.

Arktrees

I've been bracing myself as Viburnum Valley, back in Feb I believe, said we are being set up for an easter freeze similar to what took place in 2007 in your area.

Low and behold easter is a couple days away. I honestly don't know what to do with my Buckeye and Katsura tree. I know they are resistant to frost and light freeze but not this. I feel like I might do more damage by throwing a blanket over the tree with all the new shoots.

They are 7-8' tall so I can't use stakes or posts to create a canopy.

Thoughts on that one?

Whaas, there are stakes out there at Home Depot, that are easily tall enough to work with your 7-8 ft tall trees. They are those green fence posts.

How much work are you willing to do? You could make a temporary greenhouse over the trees with shadecloth and pvc like I did in the backyard but that may be a little excessive for just a couple nights frost protection.

John

ILMT, the tallest stakes I have seen at HD are 6'

ahh... I left out extension cords and portable heaters on the ground under the shadecloth... Of course all this will be close in cost to replacing one of those trees but cheaper than replacing both of them.

Sorry for the triple post!

I have done something similar to John before. If you have the old incandescent Christmas lights, then those under a blanket of some sort would likely add several degrees. Otherwise you let them fend for themselves. Most natives will be able to cope (perhaps through re-sprouting in about a month) and survive, though the flowers may be toasted. Much as last year our Redbuds flowers were killed by the -25F night. Tree survived and is doing well, but didn't have flowers from it for one year. My only concern would be that they haven't been there for that long. But still, IMHO they would survive.

Arktrees

That is my main concern is that every single plant is only a year old in the ground or less.

This is what I have to lose...do you sense the panic!

Abies balsamea 'Tyler Blue'
Abies concolor
Abies concolor 'Archer's Dwarf
Abies concolor 'Blue Cloak'
Abies concolor 'Glauca Compacta'
Abies koreana 'Blauer Pfiff '
Abies koreana 'Golden Glow'
Abies koreana 'Goldener Traum'
Abies koreana 'Horstmann's Silberlocke'
Abies lasiocarpa 'Compacta'
Abies lasiocarpa 'Martha's Vinyard'
Abies pinsapo 'Horstmann' (cannan)
Abies procera �Hupp�s Christmas Tree� (noman)
Abies procera 'Danish Column'
Abies procera 'Glauca Nana' (cannan)
Abies procera 'Sherwoodii' (balsam)
Abies, nordm 'Golden Spreader'
Abies, veitc 'Heddergott'
Chamaechparis pisifera 'Golden Charm'
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Saffron Spray'
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Devon Cream'
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Snow'
Cupressus nootkatensis 'Green Arrow'
Jun. squam. 'Floriant'
Juniperus pfitzeriana (x) 'Daub's Frosted'
Juniperus squamata 'Dream Joy'
Larix �Jacobson�s Pyrimid�
Larix laricina 'Blue Sparkler'
Larix laricina 'Newport Beauty'
Picea abies `Fritsche'
Picea abies `Gold Dust'
Picea abies `Jacobsen'
Picea abies `Will's Zwerg'
Picea abies �Cupressina�
Picea abies �Katherine�s Golden Heart�
Picea abies 'Diffusa'
Picea abies 'Elegantissama'
Picea abies Gregg�s Seedling
Picea Abies 'Kellerman's Blue Cameo'
Picea abies 'Kellerman's Blue Cameo'
Picea abies 'Pusch'
Picea abies 'Wingles Weeper'
Picea brew. 'Emerald Midget'
Picea engelmanii 'Compacta'
Picea engelmannii 'Blue Magoo'
Picea engelmannii 'Bush's Lace'
Picea glauca `Echiniformis'
Picea glauca 'Burning Well'
Picea glauca Cleveland Rd.
Picea glauca 'Daisy White'
Picea glauca 'Dent'
Picea glauca 'Hillside'
Picea glauca 'Ketch Harbor'
Picea glauca 'Mac's Gold'
Picea glauca 'McConnell's Gold'
Picea glauca 'Pendula'
Picea glauca 'Yukon Blue'
Picea jezoenis 'Howell's Dwarf Tigertail'
Picea mariana `Nana'
Picea mariana 'Aureovariegata'
Picea mariana 'Blue Teardrop'
Picea mariana 'Blue Tier Drop'
Picea mariana 'Golden'
Picea omorika `Osmaston #1'
Picea omorika �de Ruyter'
Picea omorika 'Nana'
Picea omorika 'Pendula Bruns'
Picea omorika 'Peve tijn'
Picea omorika 'Pimoko'
Picea orientalis 'Atrovirens'
Picea orientalis `Barnes'
Picea orientalis �Aureospicata�
Picea orientalis �Tom Thumb Gold�
Picea orientalis 'Connecticut Turnpike'
Picea orientalis 'Mount Vernon'
Picea orientalis 'Silver Seedling'
Picea orientalis 'Skylands'
Picea orientalis 'Tom Thumb'
Picea pungens `St. Mary's Broom'
Picea pungens �Sester Dwarf�
Picea pungens �Spring Blast�
Picea pungens 'Blue Pearl'
Picea pungens 'Blue Totem'
Picea pungens 'Donna's Rainbow'
Picea pungens 'Fat Albert'
Picea pungens 'Gebelle's Golden Spring'
Picea pungens 'Glauca Globosa'
Picea pungens 'Glauca Globosa'
Picea pungens 'Hoopsii'
Picea pungens 'Iseli Fastigiate'
Picea pungens 'Montana Ave.'
Picea pungens 'R.H. Montgomery'
Picea pungens 'Royal Knight'
Picea pungens 'The Blues'
Picea Pungens 'Thuem'
Picea pungens 'Wisconsin Cream'
Picea rubens `HB' ('Hexenbesen)
Picea sitchensis `Papoose'
Picea x mariorika 'Machala'
Picea, abies 'Motala'
Pins sylvestris 'Watereri'
Pinus Banksiana 'Schoodic'
Pinus cembra
Pinus cembra `Stricta' (Fastigiata)
Pinus cembra 'Blue Mound'
Pinus cembra 'Glauca Compacta'
Pinus cembra 'Klein'
Pinus contorta 'Chief Joseph'
Pinus contorta 'Taylor's Sunburst'
Pinus densiflora 'Jane Kluis'
Pinus densiflora 'Low Glow'
Pinus heldreichii
Pinus heldreichii `Compact Gem'
Pinus heldreichii 'Green Bun'
Pinus heldreichii 'Smidtii'
Pinus koraiensis `Tabuliformis'
Pinus koraiensis 'Dragon Eye'
Pinus koreansis 'Anna'
Pinus koreansis 'Silveray'
Pinus Leucodermis 'Irish Bell'
Pinus longaeva 'Sherwood Compact'
Pinus mugo `Pal Maleter'
Pinus mugo `Zundert'
Pinus mugo 'Carstens'
Pinus nigra 'Oregon Green'
Pinus parviflora `Billie' (M-par 4)
Pinus parviflora 'Adcock's Dwarf''
Pinus parviflora 'Arnold's Arboretum Dwarf'
Pinus parviflora 'Catherine Elizabeth'
Pinus parviflora 'Glauca'
Pinus parviflora 'Goldilocks'
Pinus parviflora 'Hagoromo'
Pinus Parviflora 'Miyajima'
Pinus parviflora 'Tempelhof'
Pinus parviflora 'Yatsubusa'
Pinus pumila `Dwarf Blue'
Pinus reflexa �Vanderwolf�s Pyramid
Pinus reflexa 'Extra Blue'
Pinus resinosa 'Don Smith'
Pinus strobus 'Blue Shag'
Pinus strobus 'Coney Island'
Pinus strobus 'Girard Contorta Nana'
Pinus strobus 'Mini Twists'�
Pinus strobus 'Minuta'
Pinus strobus 'Nana'
Pinus strobus 'Pendula'
Pinus strobus 'Stowe Pillar'
Pinus strobus 'Tiny Curls'
Pinus strobus 'Wintergold'
Pinus sylvestris `Gold Medal'
Pinus sylvestris 'Gold Coin'
Pinus sylvestris 'Hillside Creeper'
Pinus sylvestris 'Mitch Weeping'
Pinus sylvestris 'Moseri'
Pinus thunbergii 'Thunderhead'
Pinus uncinata 'Caesar'
Pinus uncinata 'Silver Candles'
Pinus x 'Forest Sky'
Pinus, densi 'Golden Ghost'
Pinus, strob 'Coronado'
Platycladus orientalis `Morgan'
Platycladus orientalis 'Franky Boy'
Sciad, verti 'Joe Kozey'
Sciadopitys v. 'Mitsch Select'
Taxodium distichum 'Peve Minaret'
Thuja occidentalis 'Concabe'
Thuja occidentalis 'Linesville'
Thuja occidentalis 'Rheingold'
Thuja occidentalis 'Sunkist'
Thuja standishii x plicata 'Green Giant'
Tsuga canadensis 'Gentsch White'
Tsuga canadensis 'Moon Frost'
Tsuga canadensis 'Pendula'
Tsuga canadensis 'Vermeulen Wintergold'
Tsuga mertensiana
Tsuga, merte 'Elizabeth'
Miscanthus sinensis Purpurascens
Penstemon Dark Towers
Chrysanthemum 'Coral Daisy'
Chrysanthemum 'Red Daisy'
Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield'
Hemerocallis 'Lime Frost'
Miscanthus sinensis Dixieland
Miscanthus sinensis Graziella
Miscanthus sinensis Malepartus
Salvia nemorosa Blue Hill
Sedum Vera Jameson
Althea 'Blue Satin'
Barberry 'Rosey Glow'
Cleathra 'Vanilla Spice'
Cotinus x 'Grace'
Fothergilla gardenii
Ginkgo biloba 'Mariken'
Ginkgo Biloba 'Pete's Dwarf'
Hamamelis 'Girard's Purple'
Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena'
Hydrandea 'Mystic Flame'
Hydrangea paniculata 'Little Lime'
Hydrangea quercifolia 'Alice'
Itea 'Little Henry'
Magnolia 'Jane'
Physocarpus opulifolius 'Coppertina'
Rhododendron x 'Roseum Elegans'
Rosa 'Meidrifora' (Coral Drift)
Rosa 'Sunrise Sunset'
Viburnum c. Spiced Bouquet
Viburnum 'Hildebrants'
Viburnum lantana 'Variegatum'
Viburnum nudum 'Bulk'
Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum
Viburnum pragense 'Decker'
Viburnum 'Summer Snowflake'
Viburnum x 'Cayuga'
Weigela florida 'Dwarf Variegated'
Weiglea 'Shining Sensation'
Acer buergerianum 'Miyasama yatsubusa'
Acer campestre 'Carnival'�
Acer circinatum 'Bort's Dwarf'�
Acer circinatum 'Del's Dwarf'�
Acer griseum
Acer palmatum �Brandt's Dwarf�
Acer palmatum �Caperci Dwarf�
Acer palmatum �Coonara Pygmy�
Acer palmatum dissectum 'Orangeola'
Acer palmatum 'Emperor 1'
Acer palmatum 'Fireglow'
Acer palmatum 'Red Dragon'
Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku'
Acer rubrum ' Sun Valley'
Acer rubrum 'Resupszam' aka Super Sonic Red
Acer saccharum 'Fall Fiesta'
Acer shirasawanum �Bashful�
Acer shirasawanum 'Autumn Moon'
Acer shirasawanum 'Jordan'�
Aesculus parviflora
Aesculus pavia
Aesculus x 'Autumn Splendor'
Berberis 'Red Jewel'
Carpinus caroliniana
Cercidiphyllum japonicium
Cercis canadensis
Chionanthus virginicus
Cornus alternifolia
Cornus alternifolia �W. Stockman� aka Golden Shadows
Cornus kousa 'Aurora'
Cornus kousa 'Milky Way'
Cornus kousa 'Samaritian'
Cornus mas
Fagus sylvatica `Mercedes'
Fagus sylvatica 'Red Oblisk'
Fagus sylvatica 'Tricolor'
Ginkgo 'Autumn Gold'
Ginkgo 'Autumn Gold'
Ginkgo biloba 'Jade Butterflies'
Ginkgo biloba 'White Lightning'�
Heptacodium miconioides
Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star'
Liriodendron tulipifera
Malus 'Coralburst
Malus 'Firbird'
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Jack Frost'
Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Miss Grace'
Nyssa sylvatica
Nyssa sylvatica 'Sheri's Cloud'
Ostrya virginiana
Parrotia persica 'Vanessa'�
Plantanus x acerifolia 'Morton Circle'
Quercus xreifii var. warei x Q. alba �Birthday Candle�

Take pics to let us know how everything pans out. It'd be nice to see the ones that toughed it out.

whaas:

As others may already have said - I'd liken you to an inclined plane attached helically around a central axis.

I've taken bamboo poles and strapped them to the trunk of the tree so the top sticks up a foot or so above the top of the tree and then threw whatever I was using for protection over that - sorta like a center tent pole so to speak. Works well for me as long as the tree isn't too large.
I didn't cover anything. Thursday night low was 31 with no damage. Friday night low was 28 and a recent planted acer palmatum var. dissectum 'Viridis' got zapped about 30%. All my other jap maples came through with no problem. Some of the crepe myrtle got zapped pretty badly though, but hopefully they will re-sprout.

Marshall

Marshall,

Thats the way to do it. I only did that for a few conifers.

Putting several stakes around a tree to create a tent worked like a disaster. You need a king size sheet/fleece for that to work.

Some of April's lows so far.
32
32
28
28

And coming up...
29
30
32

What ever happened to all those plants?

Surprisingly things faired better than expected. Most conifers where fine with some buds damaged. There was alot of damage on some trees but they re-bud and had minimal dieback.

I'd say I lost 5-6 one gallon plants, mostly JMs. Of the larger trees only 'Wolff' or Emperor suffereed. The entire 2' section of the top died. It looks strange right now as it didn't really put out new growth.

Lesson learned...you just have to deal with a few losses. I sure as hell will never stress about or cover plants ever again. I might just complain about the weather!lol!

I'm glad the damage was limited. We also ran around trying to cover everything during that crazy weather and I'm still not sure if that helped or not. The weather set back a few plants. I didn't get any blooms on most of my Mophead Hydrangeas this year, but everything else did okay.

The weather has become more and more unpredictable and out of season and I guess not much we can do about it, but hope the plants will adapt and as you point out ....deal with a few losses. And you will have a lot of company complaining about the weather. :-)