The harsh winter weather has caused some rather unsightly damage to some of our home landscape plants. The effect of the winter along with the delayed spring weather may cause some difficulty in accurately determining the viability of some plants until late spring or early summer.

MVG wants to avoid the inconvenience of returning a shrub or tree for replacement that appears to have incurred winter damage before the plant has the opportunity to recover. Disturbing the plant will result in both loss of a valuable year of becoming established and development of the plant’s full potential this year.

Tree and shrub purchases in April and May of 2013 may be at risk of the guarantee expiring before being able to determine if the plant(s) has survived the record setting winter.

MVG is extending our guarantee for April and May 2013 purchases until June 30, 2024 so this determination can be made.

MVG’s warranty is about plant survival. If a plant has some winter damage but is deemed viable by MVG, the plant will not be replaced. MVG requires a photo of the plant and/or a small sample so we can determine the extent of the damage incurred and viability.

Many new varieties of plants have been introduced in the past 10 years or so and have not experienced a harsh winter such as we experienced in the winter of 2013-2014. The photos that follow show examples of winter damage on plants that typically have no winter damage.

EXAMPLES OF 2013 -2014 WINTER DAMAGE TO HARDY PLANTS FOR THE

MIAMI VALLEY, OHIO

HARSH WINTER BRINGS OUT THE BEST

If you have lived in Ohio for a while you have learned to take the good weather with the bad.

• Each season has its effect on plant growth and sometimes for years to follow.
• Up until recently we have been blessed with fairly mild winters. This past winter was hard on plants, animals and humans.
• MVG tries hard to help you be successful with your garden. However, we cannot control Mother Nature.

Many of you have come in after this past winter with concerns about plants that seem to have died or have been severely damaged.

• We are sorry that it is necessary to delay determining how much plants have been affected. Because of this, we have altered our policy temporarily to address the situation.
• But many more of you have offered words of thanks and encouragement. We appreciate these comments and pass them on to encourage others.

Here is one example of some of the positive comments we have received:

• (I am) “Happy to report the trees that I planted last year are doing great! Was worried about the new cultivar flowering peach, but it is leafing out nicely and the horse chestnut cultivar looks magnificent—-so far. I owe it all to “Jeff” and lots of research before picking a cultivar—the rest, the excellent stock in hand, I owe to MeadowView! Never thought I would find a nursery like Oakland in Columbus that carried the best, but I’m a customer (of MVG) for life. AND the staff—excellent! Every darn one of them. Heard Jeff left, breaks my heart, so knowledgeable, but know there are plenty of other wonderful people there for me to chat with this spring. Thank you for the wonderful additions to my “garden” (that is about 7 acres!!) I’m the lady that buys all the sweet woodruff that you have in stock every spring. See you soon, have it ready! Marilyn M.”

Friday, May 2, 2014, 11:30 AM

Enjoy the spring season with all its variables,

Meadow View Staff