Tough winter freeze reveals a spring with a little less green

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Monday was the official first day of spring. For gardeners, this is a spring unlike most others.

A fall drought followed by a sudden plunge to polar-like temperatures was more than many plants could handle.

“We have certainly lost more plants this winter than we have in the last 10 winters combined,” Paul Cappiello, Executive Director of Yew Dell Botanical Gardens said. “I think just because of that cold.”

People are definitely not alone if their bushes have turned to sticks and their evergreens have lost their green.

The late 2022 dry freeze seems to have taken the life out of normally lush and resilient landscapes.

People calling Wallitsch Garden Center on Hikes Lane are asking the big question: ”Are my plants going to come back?”

“There’s an old saying,” Wallitsch nursery manager Ray Rock said, “patience is a virtue.”

If people are willing to wait, Rock said root systems could have survived where foliage withered.

Plants and bushes could eventually bounce back.

Wallitsch is expecting a busy year. Rock said the store has ordered double the plants it sells in a normal year.

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