The second half of May and we hope the frost is finished for the season. Make sure all half hardy and tender perennial stock you are planting out for summer display is hardened off before sinking a trowel into the soil. As you can see from the attached images a late frost followed by early, bright sunshine can have devastating effects on tender young growth. These woody plants sit out in all weather. Trees and shrubs form the backbone of planting and still thought must go as to where in the garden these plants are situated. The large woolly leaves of Hydrangea sargentiana were full of sap which thawed too rapidly as the sun hit the foliage. The tender tips of Pterocarya fraxinifolia will recover, this is a young plant grown from seed collected in Georgia. There are mature, wide crowned, specimens growing successfully elsewhere in the garden. Decoratively, the most noticeable damage is on the young Pieris japonica ‘Variegata’ the showy red shoots are burnt brown, spoiling the display.

Hydrangea sargentiana

Pieris japonica ‘Variegata’

Pterocarya fraxinifolia