Assessing the winter damage and making plans

Hamamelis 'Japonica' now starting to bloom

I was reading a post from fellow garden blogger from Tennessee who was hit hard by this brutal winter. His damage seemed more severe than mine, so I went outside to investigate my own gardens between rain showers. One thing that gardening has taught me is that we all have something to share, and we always have something to learn.

I will go into detail about the plants in my yard and then give some tips to those of you with winter damage also, on what to do next.

"Freezer burn" on the Jasmine

One of the first to take a hit nearly every year is our Jasmine. We have it planted in three different places around the yard. One is next to the house and is the largest as it seems to have the protection of our house. The others are further out and have taken longer to get established, but after the very mild winter we had last year, they really took off this past summer.

In the past, we have lost some leaves and some minor branches, but it seems as if since the Jasmine is pretty thick with growth, the outer leaves protect the inner parts, so all we loose is last years growth or some new buds for this year. T. jasminoides. Trachelospermum jasminoides Star or Confederate Jasmine. Overall prognosis: V. Good.

Gardenia with winter leaf damage

We have three Gardenia bushes in the yard and have moved them around over the years to what we think are the best spots for them to live comfortably. They too, have seen some winter damage from the bitter cold but not as bad as I had thought, with only a few leaves burned and sacrificed. How this will affect the new buds will have to be seen. Overall prognosis: V. Good.

Viburnum buds seem healthy

We have two Viburnum in the back, but I'm not sure what species. They have been in the ground for a couple of years now and while they don't have burned leaves, they are still kind of droopy. I think they will perk back up with the warmer weather of spring as will we all. Overall prognosis: V. Good

Damage to Camellia leaves

Our Camellia are taking their time getting established. We planted them a couple of years ago and while they produce blossoms, they never open up. I guess it just takes time for these plants to really get going. As for the damage this year, a few burned leaves, no blooms, but not too bad. Overall prognosis: Good.

Even the evergreens in the yard changed color a little more than usual. Some of the evergreens will get tinged on the outer leaves from a purplish green to amber. All are doing quite well and really love getting real cold. Make sure you have a good mix in your yard not only for winter interest, but also for varying textures and greens. Overall prognosis: Excellent.

Dwarf Hemlock shows some coloration on the outer needles

Great color changes on some evergreens

As seen last week, these are not looking good.

The worst hit of all the plants in the yard are my huge Rosemary plants. We had planted them all over the yard not only for the obvious reason, free herbs, but they are are great winter plants, adding color and texture to the winter landscape. They also deter deer, so we have been planting them around the yard for these reasons and enjoying them. They flower and attract several different type of bees. We will have to wait and see. Overall prognosis: Not good.

So what should you do if your plants have been hit by this cold and are looking kind of bad. Well, don't panic. We all have to wait and see what will happen when the warmer weather starts and life begins again. New growth will start where it can. I wait until the new growth of leaves, buds or flowers start. Where the branches are truly dead, no growth will happen and I will cut these away to allow nutrients and sunlight to get to the places that need it. I have had plants come back from the dead, literally.  But I've also watched them die a slow death. But I will give them every chance.

I know I've talked mostly about shrubs, but what if this happens to your ground hugging plants? Well, if there are dead leaves around the central area, just leave them for now. If there is a chance that the plant will survive, it will need those dead leaves to act as insulation until warmer weather arrives. Gently peel back those dead leaves. If there is any green left, then let it be for now. You can gently get rid of the dead leaves once the warmer weather sets in, allowing light and nutrients into the new area.

Hamamelis 'Jelena'...looks like confetti!

Basically, don't panic. This is where we take stock of the past season and act accordingly. Sometimes we can make some adjustments as stated above and then move on. Sometimes we need to rethink everything. If you lost a lot of plants this year, it might be time to reassess your plants and study up on plants that have no problem with even severe cold.

But who would have seen this coming?

Stirrings in the garden...life goes on

Hamamelis 'Jelena' blooming now

The brutality of this winter for us is evident in many ways. Tempers are short, a wake of dead plants liter the property, depression dips its ugly head when day after day, all we see is grey skies and no signs of life.

Yesterday was still a grey and cold day, after a string of many, but I trudged around the yard after feeding the birds, to see what was happening. There are stirrings. The Hamamelis, or Witch Hazel are in bloom. A sign that all of this should be coming to an end in a few weeks. The dark orange 'Diane' and the lighter orange 'Jelena' are in full bloom. The yellow 'Arnold Promise' was the one that bloomed in the fall and we were thinking that it had reverted back to its origin, Hamamelis virginianus, which is supposed to bloom in the fall, instead of the others blooming in the late winter/early spring. But there are buds on the 'Arnold Promise', so we'll see.

Hamamelis 'Diane' in bloom now

The tulips had been trying to get out back in December, I think, and they are still stubborn and trying to come out, despite the frigid temperatures. Yesterday I observed deer prints in the garden and the tops of some of the tulips have been unceremoniously beheaded. Hopefully they will still bloom, while looking like they had a too-short haircut.

Tulips emerging

We have several large, old Rosemary plants throughout the yard, supplying us with ready herbs, evergreen ground cover and year round interest. These, I am afraid, have been hit hard, along with the Jasmine. The Rosemary is usually dark green and keeps the garden looking alive, but these abnormally frigid temperatures have turned them all bronze, and a close up will look like the thin leaves are blistered from the extreme cold,

We'll have to wait and see of what becomes of them, but while taking a photo for this blog post, I noticed a hint of life on the Rosemary. So maybe all is not lost.

cold damage on the Rosemary

But wait! Is that new growth!?

This is one brutal winter

January 16th snowfall

This has been one brutal winter for us here in central Virginia. Our winters usually are cold during February, and we get some snow here and there in February and sometimes in early March. So far this season, we have been hit with several snows, not large amounts, but snow none the less. We have also been hit with severely cold weather for these parts. Temperatures in the single digits and wind chills in the negative numbers.

January 29th snowfall

 We usually get heavy wet snow, which in turn, melts in the next couple of days. These snows have been very crystalline and with the temps being so cold, it is very crunchy underfoot and lasts for many days.

But, for as cold as it has been, there is still growth and life. And while we might loose a few plants, or at least parts of the plants due to the cold temps, life goes on.

The evergreens in the yard are loving life, of course. They need these very cold temperatures as part of their life cycle. If anything, they are harder hit during our dry hot summer months, than they are with the cold.

Oriental paperbush in blossom

bright colors from the Nandina that I discarded years ago in the back

The Witch Hazel is budding now, Tulips and Snowbells are emerging, albeit too early in my opinion on the later. I just hope they can survive this brutal winter to enthrall us with their beauty as in other years. The Oriental paperbush are budding, and will open and expel their fragrance late this month.

Snowbells emerging

Hydrangea buds ready for spring