Unplanted Tree

Unplanted trees winter over with a nice bed of mulch to protect them.

"....HELP! My brother gave me a redbud tree from a garden center sale...We didn't get it in the ground before winter, it's been sitting in a burlap bag in my garage. I water it every once in awhile. Is there hope it will make it until spring?" -- Amy

Unplanted Tree

Hi Amy, lucky for you, Eastern redbuds are one of my all-time favorite spring trees! They are hardy stock. A native to Missouri, they are also a relatively easy and hardy species to grow. Assuming your garage is frost free, the tree should pull through winter. To make sure, is the tree off the ground? If not, place it in a cardboard box with a thick layer of newspapers, old blanket or some other kind of insulation between the tree bottom and the cold floor. Also gently scrape a tiny spot on the trunk and see if it is still green, a dormant tree won't show any activity but the trunk will be green.

In case you get more tree gifts, another way to pull these trees through winter is to mulch them outside, like the ones in the pictures. A nice blanket of mulch will keep the trees in a dormant stage long enough so that it basically sleeps through the cold weather.

Pile mulch around unplanted trees a good 3-4 feet high during winter.

Wrapping tree trunks also helps protect them temporarily.

Good luck, Amy, let us know how your redbud does later this spring!

Charlotte