As you observe your trees this winter and spring, put your ear to the ground and your hand on their trunks and listen. What you hear may enlighten you and help ensure that your trees stay strong and healthy, no matter what weather comes along.

With the volatile cold winter weather in some parts of the country, tornadoes in others and the unseasonably warm weather and drought in parts of the west, many trees have suffered in recent months, says Jim Conroy, who has a doctorate in Plant Pathology from Purdue University and previously worked as an executive at top agricultural-chemical companies. Today, he is cofounder of The Institute for Cooperative BioBalance (IfCBB) and creator of Tree Whispering, a product-free method he devised to save ailing trees and keep them healthy.

“Trees are confused right now,” says Conroy. “They need enough moisture in their buds to keep them from desiccating, and they don’t want those buds to freeze, as this will lead to decreased or no buds at all come spring. Other common problems seen with trees now and in the spring include loss of branches, late leafing out and slow development.”

So what can you do when Mother Nature confuses your trees? Conroy suggests taking a leaf from his book and using your intuition to “whisper” to them. He is an authority on nature-based communication, healing trees and plants with a holistic approach that focuses on restoring their inner workings.

“The word whisper generally means to speak softly and privately with another,” says Basia Alexander, co-founder of IfCBB. “Whispering with horses, dogs and babies became popular in the 1990s.”

“Tree whispering is a profound experience of mutual connection with the life force of a plant,” explains Conroy, author of Tree Whispering: A Nature Lover’s Guide to Touching, Healing, and Communicating with Trees, Plants, and All of Nature. “When I touch a tree, I feel the bark, but I also feel a flow of power, like a current, moving from the roots to the branches and leaves. This force gives me details about the tree’s inner health in ways that conventional science and technology cannot.”

Trees require a balance of moisture to keep their buds healthy, and extreme weather can imbalance them, so Conroy will work to balance moisture content. “I call it getting in touch with the growth energy of trees and plants,” he says. “Anyone can do it.”

To help gardeners communicate with, heal and protect their plants, Conroy and Alexander release tree whispers for various purposes—such as drought and storm warnings.

“When Hurricane Sandy was coming in 2012, we wanted to help people help their trees, so we released Storm Prep Whispers they could use prior to and during the storm,” says Conroy. “Afterward, in many return emails, people told stories of saving their trees when their neighbors’ trees didn’t make it. That resulted in our writing the book, People Saving Their Trees in Hurricane Sandy.”

Even if you aren’t sure about tree whispering—there’s no danger in giving it a try.

“Tree Whispering feels good and empowering,” says Alexander. “Many gardeners find that they no longer feel hopeless about the state of the environment, because they learn a positive mindset and get preparatory messages they can use to protect and improve their landscapes.”

Here are some whispers to try on your trees:

For an ailing tree:

• Please release blockages and distribute growth energy where it is needed.
• Please orchestrate inner parts, feedback loop systems and functions to play in harmony.

For a tree about to experience extreme cold:

• Please utilize your food resources in the optimum way to protect yourself from the cold.
• Please optimize inner water volumes to protect your cells and parts and yet not become dehydrated.
• Please power-up your bioenergy layers to protect your parts, buds and other growing points.

For a tree experiencing drought:

• Roots, please stay healthy and strong so that when water returns you can help the rest of the tree or plant by transporting water.
• Please allow the water you have to maintain your vital systems and life energy until more water comes.
• Please conserve your inner resources to keep you balanced with the low moisture and to avoid shock.

Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of seven books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening, Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com.