….. but I’m worried.

The thirty or forty Japanese maples in the garden come into leaf over a period of weeks. Today, some are leafed fully while leaves of others are just emerging. With temperatures falling into the mid-twenties last night, I’m concerned about ones that are halfway between that are the most vulnerable. Too many times, I’ve seen maples damaged by late freezes. Over two years, a ‘Shaina’ was lost to ill-timed freezes. I hope this is not so serious.

The morning after, I don’t know the extent of the damage. Tender leaves are off color, with some drooping. Certainly, some will be lost, hopefully not all, and some are likely to get through with minimal damage even if others suffer.

Happily, Japanese maples are the worst of it. I’ve lost a year’s growth on Asian mayapples in recent years, but they show no damage. Everything else looks great, so I’ll wait to see what happens over the next few days. Emerging leaves from other trees and flowers of redbuds and dogwoods are fine. Clouds and rain are forecast, so that should be helpful.

If there’s substantial damage to foliage, the wait to see the extent of recovery will take weeks and months. Most of the maples are oldtimers, so they have the best chance of bouncing back from the loss of foliage. Hopefully, this won’t be necessary.