It's been a relatively mild winter here so far, but not near the end yet. A good many of the hems have retained a lot of green foliage. Now, in spite of having some cold spells, a lot are trying to to actively grow.
The freezing nights are not slowing them down very much. Mine are grown in containers and I tend to leave the old dead foliage and allow the oak leaves that collect to act as a winter mulch. Unfortunately, it also acts as a safe haven for insects and in the case of hems that generally means aphids. If you poke around in the detritus you can also find other insects including ladybugs. The upshot is that on those already infested with aphids I'm trying to decide whether to clear off the dead debris and see if I can interfere with the aphid's growing population or leave it 'til later. In terms of potential cold weather, it's earlier than I like to remove it.
I'm not sure the plants and aphids are going to allow me to wait. I have some insecticidal soap that worked pretty well on new emerging growth last year. I think it's something called Safer's, but I'd have to check the name to be sure. If I don't kill the ladybug population overwintering, they will get off to an early start and do the job later. The aphids are always a bit earlier to start. They are aggravating. I think they encourage spring sickness, but that's just a personal idea of mine which may not have any truth to it all.
