There’s nothing worse than nurturing a treasured planting through design, establishment, and tough summer heat… only to see it succumb to the treacheries of Old Man Winter. This is especially true—and sometimes tricky—when it is in a container.
How Cold Affects Container Plants
Shrubs planted in containers—such as the dwarf varieties Autumn Starburst®, Autumn Majesty®, Autumn Embers®, and Autumn Bonfire®— offer many benefits. From adding an unexpected pop of color on a patio to highlighting a gorgeous reblooming accent plant, containers lend sophistication and flexibility to a landscape. However, unlike in-ground plantings, they don’t have the benefit of the ground’s insulating effects. Think of a container as a glass of water and the ground as a pond. Exposed to the same cold temperatures, the glass of water will freeze first while the pond takes a much longer time. This is because the pond’s much larger volume takes longer to lose the heat its water contains.
A potted plant’s roots have a comparatively thin layer of soil surrounding them compared to a plant that lives in the ground. The heat that a thin layer of soil contains will dissipate much faster than the heat contained in a larger volume you’d find in an in-ground planting bed. This makes anything planted in a container—including your beloved Autumn Majesty® and Autumn Embers®—much more vulnerable to the frosty touch of below-freezing temperatures; e.g. freezing liquids within the cells and causing the breakdown of the cell walls.
It’s not just the below-ground portion of a plant that’s in danger due to cold. Your Encore Azaleas’ leaves can be affected by cold winds. Wind can dry out leaves, which have a limited amount of water to draw on due to the container’s limited volume. Snow can cause potential injury when it piles up on your azaleas. Being an evergreen plant, those leaves can hold more snow and cause a greater weight load on branches, possibly leading to breakage. And because your container plants are likely on a patio, along a walkway or used as a focal plant in a garden bed, they are out in an open and unprotected area of your yard, exposed to the wickedest of winter weather.
Ways to Protect your Azaleas
A few acts of protection now can save you the heartache of losing one or several of your longstanding azaleas. While the weather is still agreeable for taking on outdoor tasks, prepare your Encore Azalea containers for winter by:
- Wrapping plants with burlap. Winding lengths of burlap around the Azaleas will protect the leaves from cold wintry winds and branches from a snow load.
- Wrapping containers with insulation. Layer bubble wrap, lengths of honeycomb-like packing materials, or even old blankets around your azaleas’ containers to keep the soil from losing too much heat.
- Add mulch. Use a thick layer of mulch at the base of the plant/top of the container soil to protect the roots.
- Group containers together. This way you can wrap multiple plants at once with burlap or packing materials. For short-stature containers, consider piling mulch around and even on the entire grouping. Power in numbers!
It’s easy to forget about your outdoor containers once cold weather sets in. Out of sight, out of mind. Attending to these simple tasks now will ensure your Encore Azaleas are happy, healthy, and ready to bloom once warm temperatures return. Spring is closer than you think!