Another late winter/spring storm is predicted for later this week through the weekend, and even if snow doesn't reach the valley floor, cold night time temperatures dipping down into the high 20s, low 30s are predicted.

This time of year is always iffy for many of our most cherished plants just waking up to the spring -- fruit trees, grape vines and early vegetable sprouts. The best gardening tip for these erratic events is to either bring your vulnerable plants indoors, or add protective wraps and water walls.

Dry Creek has various sized plant wraps, water walls and other protective products to help us get through the late storms that seem to inevitably threaten a smooth transition between winter and spring. If you haven't already, stop in and see what might be done to protect your plants from yet another approaching cold snap.

The nectarine tree has been in full bud for a couple weeks now, and then arrives several cold nights with temperatures in the city dropping down into the low twenties.

Last year the same thing happened and the result was no summer fruit. So, this time we decided to cover the flowering tree at dusk to see if it might help. So far, we wrapped the tree with two drop cloths at dusk, then removed them each morning. The cold temperatures are predicted for a few more nights, so we'll continue to wrap it up.

We won't know until later whether our efforts will pay off. But, it's worth the try.

Dry Creek has all sorts of protective devices and covers. If you haven't already, stop in and see what might be done to protect your flowering trees and early sprouts from this cold snap.

It's been a surprisingly dry winter for the Sierra and Great Basin. So dry, in fact, that gardeners needed to compensate for lact of rain and snow by watering their trees, perennials and lawns from time to time during the cold winter months. But if your watering efforts were too little, too late, damage and die back, especially with plants that are strangers to the desert to begin with, are probably the inevitable results.

Some plants will survive and recover. Some will die. As the soil begins to warm with night temperatures rising, the damage will become more evident. Many drought tolerant plants -- the yucca, agave, hardy cacti and others -- will probably be just fine. Plants with deeper root systems might send up their new spring growth like nothing strange happened at all. Time will tell.

If you keep a gardening journal with maps for locating and tracking your plants, it will be easier to tell what's been lost. Whatever the case, this is the time of year to work on preparing and improving the soil for the typically hot, dry growing season to come. If there was little water in the winter, we can most definitely expect more of the same for summer.

Right now, though, as the lack of water continues, it's important to add moisture to your soil, especially for your large trees and shrubs, as well as your less drought tolerant perennials. For large trees and shrubs, twice a month, slowly soak the dripline areas (away from the trunk toward the outer edges of their branches), at least to a depth of 8 inches. Do this slowly so that the water does not run off, but rather soaks in.

Aphids are tiny, soft bodied insects that suck plant juices from leaves, stems and flowers. They quickly form colonies and if left unchecked, can do quite a bit of damage to your plants. You might be tempted to buy pesticide poisons to fight your fights, but such chemicals are almost always completely nondiscriminatory when it comes to what types of insects they kill. Who wants to kill honeybees? Who wants to kill Lady Beetles (pictured)? Who wants to kill Praying Mantids? Who wants to risk such chemicals leaching into the ground water to kill earthworms and ultimately to contaminate the water supply?

If you find aphids collecting on your flower plant stems, rub them off with your fingers or spray your plants with a strong enough jet of water to knock the aphids from your plants. And encourage beneficial predator insects into your garden (by not using insecticides) such as Lady Beetles. A single Lady Beetle (Hippodamia convergens) will eat thousands of aphids during its life time!

Considerate gardeners also use home made sprays made with garlic and a tiny bit of Castile soap. Some make tea from other plants known to thwart aphids, such as yarrow, stinging nettle and tomato leaves. There are many solutions that don't involve deadly chemicals. Try this link for more organic suggestions.

This morning the National Weather Service is predicting the possibility of snow this holiday weekend down to the valley level with temperatures to the freezing level. The low temperatures, they say, will allow up to an inch of snow in the Truckee Meadows. The western mountains are in a Winter Weather Advisory. With gusty winds, snow and a cold night, conditions could definitely do some damage to delicate annuals like tomatoes, eggplant and peppers.

If you've already planted summer vegetables, it's probably a good idea to devise some protection for the weekend. Drycreek still has in stock Gardener's Season Starter Early Season Plant Protectors. The plant protectors safeguard plants like tomato starts, eggplant, squash, pepper starts, cucumbers, melons, herbs and other annuals, shielding them from damage. They carry Wall of Water protectors, too, that will protect plants down to 16 degrees Fahrenheit.

This time of year everyone is anxious to plant their summer garden plants, gambling to win more time in our typically short growing season, but as the saying goes, the snow isn't off Peavine yet, and this weekend we just might see more rather than less.

This time of year is hit or miss with new growth on local hardwood trees. The late winter storms that swept over the Sierra this past week caused die-back on some trees like the sycamore pictured. The young leaves are now crisp and brown and crumbling. But the damage isn't long-term. This particular tree was also hit last year by the sudden frost in early June, but it completely re-foliated itself by mid-summer.

New growth on ash, maple, mulberry, oak and other trees is certainly vulnerable, especially if the trees are exposed to freezing winds, or in low-lying areas where freezing air settles. But there's usually no need to panic. If a tree is burned by frost and freezing temperatures, usually its dormant buds will come to the rescue. So don't attempt to remove the damaged leaves. They will fall to the ground by themselves and unless the tree is especially weak or diseased, new leaves will appear by summer. The tree might even come back with a vengeance, developing more leaves than usual to compensate for the shock.

Last year's late frost did reduce fruit tree and grape production in certain parts of the valley. Hopefully the timing of this past event won't be a repeat of last year.

There are many reasons that contribute to plant die back. Sometimes the plant is severely attacked by insect pests, bacteria or fungi. Sometimes plants are injured by trampling, over crowding, over watering, under watering, over grazing or even salts or chemical spills. The remedies for such causes vary and might take some time to see results, but perhaps more often die back results are not as drastic and the solutions are quite simple.

For example, a particularly harsh winter, a misplaced drip line or a neglected watering schedule might cause an otherwise healthy and happy perennial to partially die back. It's unfortunate, but it does happen, especially in a harsh environment such as the high desert where growing conditions are not always what we might expect or hope for. In such cases, it is probably better to think of the plant's condition as a mere set back rather than a more drastic die back.

In a case like the one pictured here, the set back results are such that the plant's life isn't actually threatened. In fact, the plant is very healthy and ready for and responding to the coming growing season. But as it sits (in the 'Before' photo), the plant obviously needs a little beautification, an easy task. All that is needed is a little brushing away of the dead debris and voila! The signs of its set back are no longer visible, the plant is beautiful once again and visitors will not even know the set back occurred.

Sometimes eliminating the signs of die back take clippers or other pruning tools, but it's a task that has its rewards in a garden that looks healthier, happier and well tended.

It's also important to find the reason for your plant's distress since not all causes will just go away on their own. If you find signs of disease or insect attack, definitely visit the nursery and talk to the experts.