Okay, this title is probably a bit more dramatic than it needs to be. The truth is, that while I lost a ton of new plants from last year’s plantings, both from the record heatwave in the summer and the colder-than-usual winter, I probably planted too many in the first place and would have thinned out several of them anyway. Just the same, I think I would have preferred that I made those decisions and not Mother Nature. So much for the illusion that we are in control of our gardens.
Last week I took advantage of the blue sky and did some cleaning up in my new garden. It was interesting to see what survived, what was injured but will most likely recover, and what was either deader than a door nail and just needs to be torn out or was frozen to the extent that I don’t have the patience to wait for it to recover. While it is still too early to make a final decision on some things, like hardy fuchsias, I did manage to perform some triage on several others. Here are some of my observations, which you might be able to relate to in your gardens…
Broadleaf evergreens took a hit. While my rhodies (well, all two of them), Japanese Hollies, and Viburnum ‘Davidii’ all made it through the winter unscathed, Sundance Choisya, Baggensen’s Gold Box Honeysuckle, Camouflage Fatsia, Darwinii Barberry, and Taiwanese Schefflera are all displaying some significant freeze damage - but not enough to kill them. I have pruned them back approximately half way and with some fertilizer, they should recover just fine. Sadly, this is not the case with the Ceanothus ‘Dark Star’, several Phormium ‘Sundowners’, and the so-called hardy Gardenia - they are now gone. Had these plants been established for a few seasons, they would have probably fared better.
Container plants got hammered too. Most of my winter containers were planted with a mix of spring blooming bulbs and pansies, and they are doing fine. The bulbs are popping up and the pansies are putting on new growth. I am looking forward to their progression as we move through the month of March. On the other hand, a few pots had permanent “thrillers” in them like Lemon Cypress, Corokia Cotoneaster, and Sasanqua Camellia, and they will all need to be replaced. Other than the cost, I suppose it’s not so bad. The Camellias were a huge disappointment, the lemon cypress had really overstayed its welcome, and the Corokia was mostly a conversation piece, which I can easily replace with some other oddity. Change is a good thing, in my opinion.
My heucheras are not happy. I lost several heucheras even before the winter due to root weevils and several more that simply just didn’t like those 11-degree days. Of the ones that have survived, a few are going to get unceremoniously removed and the rest are on probation for 60 days - either they shape up or they are getting shipped out, directly to the compost pile.
For the most part, all of my perennials survived except for a few marginal Salvias, and surprisingly, a few Euphorbias. But isn’t that the case with gardens? They are always in flux, whether they are new or established. Nothing ever stays the same and the need for editing never ends. Disasters, like hard freezes or heat waves, give us opportunities to change things up and create new compositions. As we say in the trade, “compost happens”. You can mourn your losses, but the sooner you visit the garden center, the quicker you will recover. There’s nothing like buying a new plant to cheer us up! Stay safe and keep on gardening.
