Don’t Prune Frost-Damaged Shrubs Just Yet—Here’s Why

This spring has done a number on your shrubs. You hit a warm spell and they started waking up with buds from new leaves and flowers. Then the temperature dropped well below freezing, turning those fresh new buds into black and brown mush, leaving you wondering what to do next. Before you grab the pruning sheers, read this first. 

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Wait it Out

You might be anxious to cut away the dead material on your plants. The problem is, it’s too early to know what’s dead and what will recover. If you prune too early, you run the risk of pruning healthy plant tissue away, causing further damage to your shrubs. 

Once you begin to see new foliage emerging from stems (and not emerging from other places) you’ll be able to tell what parts of the plant survived and what didn’t and prune effectively. When this happens can vary from plant to plant. White some may recover quickly, it may take until mid summer to be able to clearly identify the living and dead parts of a shrub. 

Water and Fertilize Normally

You may be tempted to give shrubs extra water to spur growth. This can make the ground soggy and the plant susceptible to fungal diseases and pests. Water it normally as it’s recovering. Also avoid over fertilizing your plants to help them recover as you can end up burning roots. 

Will the Plant Recover

Most plants can recover from a spring freeze and will leaf out again even after that initial growth is killed. You should see fresh healthy growth replace the dead plant tissue in a few weeks 

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Will Blooming Plants Still Bloom

While you may not lose the plant itself, the blooms may be a casualty for this season. It really depends on timing and the type of plant. A blooming shrub that typically flowers in the spring may end up with fewer blossoms or may have none at all. It depends on what stage the buds were in during the freeze. If the plant had just started budding, they may have survived the freeze. If the buds were more mature, you may need to wait until next year for blooms.