fabricflowers

Despite an unseasonably mild winter and early spring, a reminder of winter is likely to occur tonight, and quite possibly, again and again over the next month.

Freezing weather is common for Kankakee and surrounding areas during April, and the National Weather Service has issued a freeze watch from late tonight through Friday morning.The official frost free date is set at May 15, but we have experienced overnight freezes as late as Memorial Day.

People will be anxiously watching their gardens and landscapes to see how this return to cold will affect their plants. Since trees and shrubs leafed out and flowered early -- some as much as six weeks ahead of schedule there is a lot of tender new growth to worry about.There is little that can be done to protect the new leaves on trees and shrubs. Some, especially those that are fine in texture like Japanese maples, could get burned.Flowers, like lilacs, magnolias and crabapple trees, could darken, turn brown and fall prematurely. Fruit tree blooms could freeze, resulting in a loss of crop. It would be wise to set up a fine spray of water, late in the evening, to wet fruit trees that are in bloom. The water could freeze, protecting the tissue of the flowers.

Any newly emerging perennials such as hosta, can be covered with fabric, boxes held down with a brick or garden row covering to protect them from damage. Some could come through with flying colors while others could burn. Those most at risk are the plants that will be hit by sun earliest in the morning.Colors of the Caldron