What Happens When Tree and Shrubs Bloom Early?

People aren’t the only ones affected by warm temperatures during the winter months, trees and shrubs are too. So, what does this mean for our plants long term?

What if plants are in bloom during a cold snap?

The buds or bloom can get frozen, but this depends on whether the buds are open or closed when a freeze happens. The damage will be greater when the flowers are open during a freeze. There are some flowers that will be okay during the cold like daffodils. However, other flowers will be zapped by the cold or start to fade away.  

Will my plant bloom again if it’s hit by the cold?

Some plants will come back and others wont. It all depends on how cold the temperature got and how far along the blooms were. Flowering plants like hydrangeas, rhododendrons, spireas, daffodils, tulips, etc., normally only bloom once a season, so these plants are more susceptible to not bloom again. Plants can produce more than one set of leaves a season, if the plant loses its leaves early in the season. One long term effect on the plants that bloom very early is there are fewer pollinating insects out to pollinate the flowers, thus the plants may have fewer berries and/or flowers the next season.