sheltering

We are supposed to get a snow storm tonight. Predicted 8-12". So many plants sprouted new tender leaves last week when it was the the low sixties- I worked today to protect them somewhat. Cut back my sage and swiss chard (to eat!) and blanketed the plants with several inches of shredded leaves. More shredded leaves two or three inches over the salvia, heartleaf brunnera, monarda, turtlehead, arum, pots of mint, mums, aster, argyranthemum, and the sedums I recently transplanted. Heaped extra leaf mulch around all the newer shrubs too, just in case- nandina, rhododendrons, summer sweet, hydrangeas. The plants I would really hate to loose, or that look like their foliage might be more prone to damage, I banked with shredded leaves and covered with upended pots- rhubarb, columbine, rosemary, sage, thyme, borage, parsley, oregano.

Maybe the precautions aren't really needed, but I'll see after snowfall how many of the unsheltered plants don't make it. I didn't bother to cover everything.