Understanding Spring Weather Pattern's Effect On Your Trees and Shrubs

April and May are challenging months for your woody plants along the Front Range of Colorado since we often experience variable temperatures and precipitation amounts. Warm ups are often followed by 30-40 degree temperature swings which can negatively impact your trees and shrubs. Bud formation, flowering, and even leaf emergence can occur in one week, and snowfall arrives the following week. This pattern can lead to dieback in new growth, reduced flowering, and even tree mortality (young, unestablished trees.) Proper selection of trees for planting sites can alleviate these issues. Selecting species which flower, develop buds and leaf out later will curb tip dieback. Intelligent placement of trees at installation that need protection will alleviate tree mortality, and structural pruning after leaf drop will aid in selecting permanent branching structure that can withstand challenging weather patterns.