Preventing the "Winter Burn": Why Your Evergreens Look Like They Got a Tan in January

Hello neighbors, Jeremy Klice here.

We need to talk about a confusing phenomenon. You look out your window in February, and despite the fact that it’s 10 degrees below freezing and there hasn't been sunshine since the Bills last made the Super Bowl, your shrubs look... sunburned?

They turn that rusty, crispy brown color that suggests they spent too much time on a beach in Florida without sunscreen. But no, they’ve been sitting in a frozen snowbank in Jamestown.

This is called Winter Burn, or if you want to impress your friends at dinner parties, Winter Desiccation. It’s basically dehydration, and it’s the number one reason your expensive evergreens look like toast by springtime.

The Science: Trying to Drink a Milkshake Through a Frozen Straw

Here is what is happening biologically. Even in the dead of winter, your evergreens (plants that keep their leaves/needles) are still breathing. On those bright, windy winter days, the sun and wind strip moisture right out of the leaves.

Naturally, the plant tries to pull more water up from its roots to replace what it lost. But there is a problem: The ground is frozen solid. The roots are stuck in a block of ice and can’t suck up a single drop of water.

So, the leaves dry out and die of thirst while surrounded by frozen water. It’s tragic, really.

The Usual Suspects: The "Big Leaf" Club

While any evergreen can suffer from this, Broadleaf Evergreens are the most dramatic about it. I’m looking at you, Rhododendrons, Holly, and Boxwoods.

Because they have wide leaves (larger surface area), they lose moisture much faster than their skinny-needled cousins like pines or spruces. If you have these planted on the south or west side of your house where the wind hits them hard, they are in the danger zone.

How to Stop the Burn (Without Knitting Tiny Sweaters)

You can’t change the weather, but you can help your plants survive it. Here is the game plan:

1. The "Last Call" for Water Most people roll up their hoses in September. Don’t do that. The single best thing you can do is water your shrubs deeply in the late fall. Keep watering them right up until the ground freezes (usually late November or early December). Think of this as "camel mode"—you are filling up their internal reservoirs so they have moisture stored in their roots to survive the long freeze.

2. The Mummy Wrap (Burlap) If you have a sensitive shrub exposed to the wind, give it a windbreaker. Drive some stakes into the ground and wrap burlap around the shrub (but don't wrap it so tight it can't breathe—we aren't trying to suffocate it). This creates a barrier against the drying wind and blocks the harsh winter sun. Yes, your yard will look like it’s hosting a convention of burlap sacks, but your plants will be green in April.

3. Chapstick for Plants (Anti-Desiccant Spray) For plants that are too big to wrap, you can use an anti-desiccant spray (sometimes called anti-transpirant). This is a waxy coating you spray on the leaves that locks the moisture in. Think of it as a heavy-duty lip balm for your holly bushes. You usually apply it in late fall and maybe once more during a mid-winter thaw (if we get one).

If your shrubs are already looking a little crispy, don't panic and chop them down yet. Sometimes the damage is just cosmetic, and they’ll push out new green leaves in spring. But if you want to avoid the "dead plant" look entirely, get that hose back out before the snow flies.

Stay warm,

- Jeremy 🤙