The Milwaukee Post

By CATHERINE JOZWIK Special to the Post The cold April temperatures and snow- falls have some gardeners concerned about how their vegetables and flowers will thrive this growing season. Although snow and ice can damage ornamentals and other plants, by taking several precautions, people can still have a successful growing season, said area nursery owners and horticulturalists. Plant Land, 6204 S. Howell Ave., Milwaukee, has been serving area garden- ers since 1968. Siblings and owners Karen Matt and Mark Jorgenson, who bought the business from their parents in the 1990s, grow all of their own plants, unlike other nurseries, whose supply comes from various green- houses. To prepare for the April snow, annual flowers petunias and pansies were cov- ered with frost blankets. However, about four dozen petunias were lost, Matt said. All of the pansies survived. "The pansies made it through. They're little troopers," she said. The cold has caused a delay in the nurs- ery's planting season. "It's putting us a good week behind," Matt said. Amanda Piala, who owns Piala's Nursery & Garden Shop in Waukesha with her husband, Quinn, said, "We got snow." Piala noted that planting potatoes, a stem vegetable, was also pushed back. Because many vegetables at area nurs- eries were under greenhouse cover, they were protected from the harsh weather, but some outdoor bulbs such as tulips and daffodils, which normally bloom at this time of year, were damaged. Ann Wied, consumer horticulture edu- cator for the University of Wisconsin Extension-Waukesha, said this growing season is still a normal one. Gardeners have not been planting much yet due to the recent weather. "It depends on how cool the next two or three weeks are. It's kind of a wait-and-see type deal," she said last week. Wied said a cold snap this time of year is not uncommon, and many vegetables, including spinach, radishes and peas, can tolerate frost. Piala added that other cold-weather plants, such as broccoli, cabbage and kale, can be planted now. Soil temps matter However, in order for "hot weather" plants such as eggplant and tomatoes to flourish, people need to be patient and wait not only for the air to warm up but the soil, too. Wied said cold soil and rain can cause seeds to rot out. "Just because the air is warm doesn't mean the soil is warm," she said. Matt, who grows organic heirloom tomatoes at Plant Land, agrees that gar- deners should wait until the end of May to plant tender vegetables. "It can't be above 50 degrees for these plants," she said. Exercising patience is often necessary when it comes to growing certain vegeta- bles successfully. "When you take a hot-season plant out too early, you risk loss," Piala said. April 1 marked Piala's 40th anniver- sary in the business. Although a happy event, the Pialas, second-generation own- ers, feel the weather didn't cooperate. Since this has been a "slow" spring, it's hard to tell now if fruit trees have been affected, Wied said. She noted that ice can often be more damaging to plants than snow, which tends to have an insulating effect. Under-cover plants Those concerned about flowers and other plants can cover them with a sheet or other protective layer. Also, Wied recommends people focus on putting warmer plants out at the end of May, when temperatures are typically high- er than they are earlier in the month. "You can still have a great growing sea- son," she said. Piala said people with planting ques- tions should call nurseries or experienced gardeners for advice. When it comes to hot-weather vegeta- bles, she recommends a hardening-off tech- nique, which involves taking a plant from a warm environment and placing it in a cool environment, then taking it back to warm conditions. Wied advises people to follow planting recommendations and to call the UW- Extension Horticulture Help Line, 262-548- 7779, or email uwex1@waukeshacounty.gov if needed. "Just know what you are putting in and what the requirements are," she said. HOME A test of hardiness: Plants weathering cold and April snow Photo courtesy of Karen Matt Lettuce, a cold-weather plant, can thrive even in chilly temperatures, as illustrated by these plants at Plant Land in South Milwaukee. 14 • Milwaukee County Post • May 11, 2018 With this ad 1 FREE 3" Pot PERENNIAL With any purchase. Limit 1 per visit. Luxembourg Gardens Expires 5/20/18 "Come to the grower for the best quality at fair prices." NOW IS THE TIME TO PLANT: •Cold-Crop Vegetables •Strawberries •Perennials •Pansies Over 1 Million ANNUAL & PERENNIAL PLANTS Grown in Our Greenhouses 8429 W. Forest Hill Ave., Franklin 414-425-5696 Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8-7, Sat. 8-6, Sun. 9-5 LUXEMBOURG GARDENS 3 Gallon Pot Rose Bushes •Tea •Grandiflora •Floribunda •Shrub •Miniature •Climbing Roses MP 260335057 Spring Preview Mother's Day Gift Certificates Available! Celebrating 30Years! Celebrating 30Years!

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