My Petunias Got Snowed On!

[david_d]

Hi, all.

I purchased a dozen petunia baskets from Home Depot two days ago and replanted them in my flower boxes. This morning, I woke up to find them covered in 1/2" of snow!!! It was totally unexpected, so I hadn't covered them in plastic or anything. I brushed them off and drizzled luke warm water on them until the snow was completely gone, but the temperature is still just 34 degrees and not expected to get much over 50 degrees today. The sun hasn't come up yet but the sky is clear, so they should receive some good warm sunlight today. [I'm at 6,400 ft. elevation at Lake Tahoe, so we get a lot of intense sunlight here.]

What should I do? Is it too late to bag 'em with clear plastic trash bags? Or, should I let 'em soak up as much sun as possible without bagging? Should I bag 'em this evening? [It's expected to warm up to 60 degrees by tomorrow.] Should I continue to drizzle lukewarm water on them? Other ideas?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[david_d]

Correction: In the time it took me to compose my post, the clouds rolled in and it's drizzling cold rain. So much for sun. So, should I bag 'em, leave 'em alone, or do something else?

Thank you!!!

 

[Tetters]

It would probably have been better if you had left them alone in the first place, as a layer of snow is not the worst thing to happen. It adds a layer of insulation. Drizzling warm water on them was not a good idea.
Shops buy stuff in early to catch people out I think. Plants go out, and die because it's not warmed up yet, then they go back to the shop to buy some more.
We have colder weather here too. We never expect to put tender plants outside until about the end of May. Buying them early is ok if you have a greenhouse to keep them in.

I would just leave them alone now, take pot luck, and if you've lost them. put it down to experience, learn from the mistake, and start again later on.

Welcome to the forums anyway and stick with it. Gardening is a great hobby, and we usually learn most from the odd mistake......all of us