How has the warm winter affected plants in Minnesota?

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - How is this unseasonable weather affecting trees, shrubs and plants? At the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, this question has become one of the top things they have been asked about.

"This is a very hot topic," said Julie Weisenhorn, a University of Minnesota Extension Educator. "Yeah, it’s probably the most frequently asked question of the time."

Weisenhorn says the questions are coming from the public, the media and their county extension folks.

If we’re confused by this weather, what is it doing to everything else?

"They’re wondering if there is something they should do, how can they protect their plants," says Weisenhorn, "and really to be honest, there’s nothing we can do about a lot of this. It’s just the way the weather is."

If you’re seeing buds on trees, note that there are some, like lilacs, that produce buds the previous year, and that's entirely normal.

Trees and plants don’t react just to temperature alone. They also react to the length of daylight, so that should keep them from sprouting too early.

But Weisenhorn says if the plants do sprout early, it shouldn’t really hurt anything. If we get another cold snap, it could hurt flowering plants or trees as it could affect how much they end up flowering later on. 

"So it won’t kill the tree or the shrub, but it may be less likely to produce as much seed, for example," Weisenhorn said. 

But, don’t worry about it too much.

"What you can do is make records of what plants do particularly well or are moderating and handling these extremes," she says.  "And put that on your list of plants the next time you go looking for a tree, for example."

It’s still far too early to start watering. But you can put some mulch around gardens or shrubs, just to add some extra protection against temperature swings.

"I’m not a fan of unusual weather like this, it’s a little unsettling, I have to admit," Weisenhorn added.

"I grew up in Minnesota. I often tell myself there’s not much you can do to change the weather!" she continued.