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Winter Snow Showers Took A Toll On Spring Plants & Flowers

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—The spring weather is now giving many a chance to get outside and get a close-up look at some of the damage winter has done in their yards.

Derek Valcourt explains our unusual winter took its toll on all that is green.

If you needed any confirmation of just how tough it was out there this winter, it turns out our plants can provide the proof.

When spring finally sprung, people like Mary Ellen Whitman were shocked at what had happened to many of their favorite yard plants.

"Look at this, it's brown, the boxwoods," said Whitman, of Guilford.

We've had quite a bit of damage.

In fact, after winter storms so brutal, the president declared a major disaster in Maryland.

Landscapers throughout the region are reporting significant damage.

"It must be at least 7-10 years since I've seen something like this," said Pete Bieneman, Green Fields Nursery & Landscaping Company.

Even some normally hearty plants just couldn't hack it, dropping all their foliage. Some lost color.

Some plants died completely.

"This winter stacked up as a worse winter, more like a New England-type winter, like what you'd experience further north. Problem is we have a lot of southern plants here," Bieneman said. "They took a hit."

This brutal and long winter also left the deer desperate for food. This winter even ravaged plants they might not usually eat.

Some of the winter damage now needs to be pruned. Some Mother Nature takes care of.

"Most likely this will drop what's damaged and then re-foliate with new growth," Bieneman said.

Landscapers recommend you wait a little longer before deciding if a plant is beyond saving or ask a professional.

Whitman is glad her damage wasn't worse and glad for the healing power of the sun.

"I just hope for the best mainly. That's what I do," Whitman said.

Landscapers say if you can hold on for another three or four weeks, you should have a good idea of which plants will survive and which ones won't.

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