Last year, I wrote a blog about cherry laurels (Prunus laurocerasus) (see “Skip and Otto”) – I was pretty enthusiastic about them, and really, what’s not to like? A broad-leaf evergreen, its leaves look like a Southern Magnolia’s leaves: broad (of course), dark, shiny green, and ovate. The foliage is quite dense and its blossoms are tiny white clusters which the pollinators love. It’s tolerant of shade and hardy in Zones 6 to 8, which makes them just about perfect for my gardens. Except….

This isn’t the cherry laurel’s fault, it really isn’t. Many broad-leafed evergreens had the same problem this year, including hollies, azaleas, rhododendrons and magnolias. The fact is that our winter was a bit harsher, colder and longer than usual and many of these trees and shrubs were winter damaged.

My beautiful cherry laurels, I have about six now, have brown and partly brown leaves when the leaves should be glossy green. So do a couple of my hollies, although the azaleas and rhododendrons weren’t bothered. Strangely, all the damage is on the southern sides of the plants.

Being of the age when one did research by going to the library, I’m amazed what information I can find on line! I googled (that wasn’t even a word when I was a kid)…any way, I searched “winter damage on cherry laurels” – and “ta-da!” –  the photos online looked exactly like my cherry laurels – I had an my answer(s)(sort of).

It could have been:

Wind desiccation

Where the wind literally dries out the leaf. Evergreens never stop losing moisture through their leaves, even when they are “dormant” in cold weather.  If the leaves lose more water than their roots can take in (because, for example, the ground is frozen, but the sun is shining), the leaves are damaged.  The damage is on the side of the plant facing the wind.

Salt damage

When road crew spread salt on the roads, and the salt or salty slush gets on the trees – since I live way out in the country and the cherry laurels aren’t planted by the road, I think I can rule out salt damage.

Leaf scorch or reflective damage

When the sun reflects off of bright white snow and “burns” the leaves not covered with snow.  This would happen on the southern side of the plant.

Since the damage to my plants is on the south side, I can’t figure out if wind or sun caused the damage.  It’s now early May and I’m seeing new growth replacing the damaged leaves, although some of the stems are dead and will need to be removed. They will probably look just fine by the end of this growing season. But, there’s always next winter and I’d like to know how to prevent this ugly damage on my precious plants.

How? The solution is the same, regardless of whether it was wind or sun damage (lucky for me!).  Make sure your broad-leafed evergreens get sufficient water before winter weather really sets in; a good 2 to 3 inches of mulch helps conserve moisture too. If you see indications of winter burn, drag out the watering hose (on the warmest day you can) and water the frozen ground around the plant. The water melts the frozen ground and is available for the plant to uptake. Don’t forget to take your hose back in – otherwise, it’s likely to burst. This will be Step 1 in “Project Protect”.

If they still get damaged, Step 2 in “Project Protect” will be more difficult: I’ll try to talk Wonderful Husband into putting up some windbreaks of wooden uprights and burlap to shelter them from the wind and sun. It might look strange, but, a gardener’s gotta do what a gardener’s gotta do!

Stay Green Good Friends!