This month’s dramatic polar plunge not only pummeled plants now, but residents can expect damage and dieback next spring, according to the University of Wyoming Extension horticulture specialist.

The cold front moved in on Labor Day, and temperatures dipped below freezing in the Powell area and around
Wyoming.

Many annual plants could not survive the unusual low temperatures for this time of year, but some herbaceous perennials might, said Karen Panter in the Department of Plant Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UW.

Covered plants may have survived, but the temperatures were too cold for most. She said plants in containers could have managed if they were taken into a protected structure like a garage or shed.

Panter said leaves freeze-dried on some trees and shrubs and will probably turn brown and stay on plants longer than normal. Frost may have caused blackened leaf tips and possibly whole leaves and branches. Snow accumulated on trees and shrubs and caused broken limbs and branches in some places.