One of the questions I’ve come to expect this spring from my garden coaching clients relates to winter damage: “Is my (insert plant name here or point at a pile of sticks) dead?”
Beautiful Lavender and Rosemary To Replace
Consistently, there are a few plants that gave up the ghost after Seattle’s unseasonably cold winter between 2008 and 2009. Many of these plants struggled heartily until the very last freeze, which put the nail in the coffin for them. If you have any of these plants, and they seem to be dead, they may very well be goners. Try the fingernail test to be sure before you yank them out.
Scratch a small area of the stem and see if it comes up green or brown. If it is green, there may be a bit of life left. If you have patience and tolerance, wait another couple of weeks to see if it begins to leaf out. If it does, you may be able prune out the dead and see your plant bounce back. If the stem is black or brown underneath the bark layer, it is probably dead. However, some plants may have died back completely on top but will bounce back from the roots. So, check the lowest portion of cane grower branches before you tear out the plant. There may be some new growth coming off the base or from the root system. These hearty, hard-hit plants may be beaten down, but they aren’t beaten. With some gardener TLC and patience, they’ll probably spring back over the next season — even if they aren’t quite as vigorous as before.
Will I stop using these plants in the garden after so many dieing this winter? Not likely. Most are fantastic landscape plants that consistently perform well in the Seattle area. I may change my mind if we continue to lose these each winter going forward, but for now, I still think there’s a place for these lost companions in our gardens.
RIP (aka rip it please, replace if pooped, and of course, rest in peace):
- Lavender: Spanish, English, French. You name it, most kicked the can this winter. Some are broken in the middle and half alive. Readily available in the trade and not terribly expensive, this might be a good plant to replace.
- Rosemary: Trailing and upright. Old and newly planted. I’ve seen tree forms and wall trailers all gone kaput. As with lavender, they’re not-to0-pricey and readily available at nurseries.
- Ceanothus: Every big, upright tree version I’ve seen since winter has died. Low, groundcover forms seem to be fine. Some younger shrubby ones are heavily defoliated but will likely bounce back.
- New Zealand Flax: Flattened octopus is how I’d describe them. The tiny, dwarf varieties seem to have made it. The giant forms and the heavily variegated forms crashed consistently. Try digging them up and/or cutting them hard before you completely give up. There may be life in there yet. It’s just going to take some time for them to bounce back.
- Daphne: Most are blooming, but they took a heavy defoliation hit this year. I’m waiting to see how/if they’ll come back for use after the bloom season is complete.
- Erysimum: Mine gave up early and became a tumbleweed in the garden. This is a plant that usually gets replaced after a few years in the garden anyway, so this is the year to swap in new ones.
- Heavenly bamboo: I’m seeing a mixed performance with these Nandina. Some are completely dead. Some died to the ground and are sending up new canes this spring. Some just defoliated heavily. I lost one gulf stream while another very nearby did just fine, and they’re the same age. Check yours carefully. This cane grower may surprise you yet.
- Rose: Mixed bag here, too. Some did fine until the very end. Others just gave up. Some are sending up new canes, but from below the graft point, so they may not be the hybrid beauties from years past.
- Fatsia: I’ve seen a few completely die back. I’ve cut a few hard to living bud points, and they seem to be coming back. It’s slow going, but hopefully not a complete loss.
- Evergreen Magnolia: Sadly, I think the last freeze may have done these in. Heavy defoliation. Tip dieback and no new growth yet on many in my clients’ gardens. They make it past the scratch test, but we have yet to see what is to come.
- Euphorbia: Mixed bag here. Some crashed. Some are spectacular. Clear out the dead portions and see how they bounce back.
- Camellia sasanqua: These are your winter blooming camellia that didn’t bloom, or didn’t bloom well this winter. The freezes hit around the time they were ready to bloom causing bud blast. Some the plants split (like mine). Some just didn’t flower. Some died back.
- Viburnum tinus: These evergreen shrubs took the winter hard and are going through heavy defoliation. Black leaves, dieing flowers and more. Some are gone. Others are struggling.
- Escallonia: This shiny evergreen has shown up dead all over the greater Seattle area. Some shrubs are partially alive, but looking pretty well shot. Others are black and gone.
- Pittosporum: Dead and dead. I have considered this a “California plant” and don’t use it. This year it died more consistently than ever.
- Elaeagnus:The lovely variegated varieties did some interior defoliation, but they seem to be bouncing back nicely.
- Evergreen clematis: The heavily dissected specialty forms have shown up dead or at least the top growth died back pretty consistently. The standard armandii is a mixed bag; older ones seem fine. Younger plantings struggled.
- Hebes: It was a mixed bag for the Hebes. In my experience the varieties that don’t have a lot of deep purple seem to be the ones that faired best. Here’s a few and how they did:
- Hebe caledonia turned black, but it did sprout from the stems this spring.
- Hebe pinquefolia had no problems
- Hebe buxifolia had no problems
- Hebe ‘Patty’s Purple’ died
- Hebe ‘Amy’ died
- Hebe ‘James Sirling’ had no problems
- Hebe ‘Tricolor’ died (as it does in every winter here)
- Hebe ‘Quicksilver’ had no problems
- Hebe procumbens had no problems
Iced Rosebud
As you’ve probably noticed, there’s a pattern here (if you take out the roses). These are all evergreen plants. Despite their ability to plug through our winters, they bear the brunt of heavy snow loads, desiccating winter winds and freezing temperatures. Likely, you’ve noticed how well many of your perennials and deciduous shrubs are doing after being protected under the soil and in leafless dormancy through the rough winter.
If nothing else, I hope this list gives you some solace during your time of loss. Each gardener lost some beloved plant this winter, and as we mourn together, we can take comfort in knowing that these losses likely weren’t the result of our green thumbs turning brown. Instead, it was mother nature reminding us not everything is in our control.
If you’ve noticed plants in your garden or around town that are goners, please share them in the comments section!
