When do you cover plants in MN?

In MN Spring is a blur between Winter and Summer. We had 80 degrees a week ago, the we had snow 2 days ago. I covered my perennials before the snow, now that the snow is gone can I leave them uncovered without the chance of having them freeze out? or leave them covered until it gets above freezing steadily? I am mainly worried about my Tulip and Daffodils that are 4 inches up already. Let me know your thoughts.

When do you cover plants in MN?
Living in a northern climate myself, I understand your dilemma. The general recommendation is to keep the mulch in place until the ground has thawed and all risk of heavy frost is past. Most spring plants can tolerate a bit of light frost, but not the heavy frost.





If you're not sure, you can try a couple of different things. Rake the mulch back from your tulips and daffodils, but keep an eye on the night temperatures. If It looks like it will be very cold, then cover them back up. Or your can remove the mulch, and if it looks like a heavy frost that night, just cover them with a sheet or light blanket to keep the frost off.





I also found a good garden calendar for MN at http://www.gardenminnesota.com/calendar.... .
Reply:I feel your anxiety. Michigan is the same as MN. The only real answer is to follow your instincts and pay attention to the weatherman. We had a week in the 70s...followed by a week in the 20s with snow. I wouldn't worry as much about the tulips and daffs....they're hardy survivors. Obviously you have to uncover them when it's hot out or you'll cook them under the covering. But you could just give them nice hot caps until it's steadily warm and not worry too much about them. They really will do fine as long as they don't have to deal with an Alberta clipper.





More delicate perennials though, like roses, need to stay covered until all chance of frost is over. If you have cones or straw around them, let them be for another month. Good luck and I hope your garden is beautiful this year.