Hi, I just planted 8 Daphne Perfume Princess as a hedge. Then we had heavy snow followed by a frost. They now have a lot of brown leaves. Is there anything I can do to help them recover? Thanks.

Hi Mel, so sorry to hear your plants have been hit by the recent snow and frost. Daphne Perfume Princess is a hardy daphne, tolerating heat as well as cold. Once they are established and have acclimatised to their environment they should be able to withstand whatever nature throws at them, it is just that they haven't had a chance to harden off after planting. Leave the plants for now, don't cut them back yet as this could force more new growth that is at risk if there are still a few late frosts. They will likely defoliate but the plants should survive. Once the risk of frost has passed, cut them back to healthy wood. You can feed them now with Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic to help them recover, this will stimulate root growth. Seaweed Plant Tonic also helps protect plants against frost up to-5 degrees but it needs to be applied 6-8 weeks before the first frost is expected for plants to build up resistance. It also helps plants tolerate heat, so good for your plants in summer as well. Mulching around the plants will help protect the roots, in late summer, early autumn. Before the first frosts are expected apply pea straw or a equally good mulch around the plants to help insulate the roots and protect them, this is also beneficial in summer, so mulching in spring is also good practice, wait a few more weeks before applying mulch to let the soil temperatures warm up after all of the cold weather. Lianne