Winter Damage

Apologies mods if something like this thread already exists.

I m a brand new member (im a self employed gardener and plant o holic)

Having thoroughly enjoyed this cold spell I am now worrying about some of fmy pplants...particularly those in containers (we had -9 several nights). Now I thinks in some ways its been a good cold spell, not lots of thaws and rerefreezes...lots of lying snow to protect the ground from the worst of the frost and little wind to go with the cold........Im still worried.

I thoughty it may be useful if we listed thopse plants we are worried for ...other members can perhaps ease or sympathise with those fears...

ok ill start with a couple...

Zantedeschia aethiopica in frozen solid for over a week containers

Galtonia viridiflora same as above.....

 

Hi - new to this forum :thmb:

Great idea Plantman - I noticed my Jasmine, planted last August and doing really well in a container until the exceptionally heavy snow is now looking pretty much dead. I wasn't sure if it would regrow in the spring or not.

 

hi .....you will be able to tell soon if your jasmin will come back. It is notmal but not ideal for thrm tr loose all lesves in winter they will regrow from stems that arent to thick and woody or hsvnt been frosted ..frosted stems will turn black or very dark green ....even one good stem will be enough for new growth....hope this helps

 

Here is a list then!
Washingtonia Robusta
Brahia Armata
Acaia Pravissima
Acacia Baileyana
Acacia Podalyriifolia
Callistemon Viminalis
All in pots, no snow here but temps down to -5/6c

 

can only really coment on the callistemon and washingtonia which should get cosmetic damage at worse....hope someone can comment on your acacias

 

Don't write anything off yet, wait and see what happens when it thaws, and leave it intil spring, some things have a remarkable ability to bounce back!

 

I'm worried about my Cistus 'Silver Pink' (my favourite plant of all) and my hardy Fuscias.

Both are hardy in normal winters. But this one is far from normal!

 

It's not too late to get any patio pots close to the house, up on bricks with the pot wrapped with bubble-wrap and the addition of a few "plant cosies" to prevent further frost damage to buds on rhodos, azeleas and camellias. It could get colder before it gets warmer.

 

Sorry Doghouse but I need to disagree. I think you will be wrapping the cold in, better to leave them alone until they defrost , hopefully over the next week, and then wrap them up. all in mho of course.

Off topic - I wish it was compulsory to provide location.

Doghouse, I see you are around Manchester, where its pretty cccccold. I'm in God's waiting room of East Devon. Quercus is on Sark, where tales of frosts are used to frighten the children. Strong is just along the way from me near the sub-tropical gardens at Abbotsbury.

But where are you others. It helps to provide advice and understand where you are coming from. I also like to see that we have contributors from Portugal, Canada and Italy to name a few.

 

So far lots have things have proved pretty tough losses are Galtonia viridiflora and Eucomis autumnali, both in pots checked yesterday bulbs turned to mush......silly plantman leaving them unprotected, in my defence it went from a very mild early December to the coldest snap in over 30 years here.

 

Quite agree! I remember the hard winter around 1981? we had lots of losses, some surprising. A 3-4m eucalyptus gunnii was killed off, bark split, leaves brown. It was end of June before I got round to removing it, cut the top down and was in the process of digging out the root when I noticed lots of small shoots emerging from below the soil. It made a wonderful thicket of shoots that lasted many years.

The other point to remember is microclimate/situation Some plants in exposed situations or in pots may be killed by bad weather when identical plants a few metres away may survive because they are sheltered by a wall or a shrub or because of better drainage

 

Last winter, my zantadeschias were reduced to mush by frosts which occurred whilst I was away so they were caught without fleece. I didn't expect them to recover, but they did and went on to flower last summer, although rather later than usual. This winter, I have made sure they've had fleece on through the cold spell and they have survived so far, although they don't look very happy. Some of the top growth has deteriorated, but I think they should fare better this year. I'll have to let you know in due course.
My hardy fuschias survived last winter and I expect to see them this coming summer too. However, I lost most of my tender fuschias which were overwintering in the greenhouse, I don't know how this year's will fare as it's too soon to tell yet.

 

watch out everyone weather models are predicting another possible VERY cold spell starting this weekend possibly warming a little thrn falling to very low temps with the possibility of strong wind and snow. Models will change and its unlikely to be as bad as predicted (it cant minus 25 is predicted now). I didnt want to stick my neck on the line and make a new thread but thought some may appreciate a warning.
Like a said it will be downgraded but one of the senior forcasters on netweather said they were the most extreme charts he had ever seen and would bring conditions worse than 1947 he predicted the last cold spell in early dec

 

Met Office are hinting it could get pretty chilly again in about 10 days time with more snow in south and east, but they're not committing themselves to anything.

All my plants - shrubs, herbaceous, herbs and fruit - seem to have survived well, but in Cardiff although we had lying snow for well over a week it only went down to about -7. The only thing that looks dodgy is an African daisy that I potted up and stuck underneath an ivy-covered wall by the house (along with the osteospermums and I think they're OK).

I'm sorry to the African daisy but you have to be tough to live with me, even if you are a very pretty colour.

 

I quite agree Finch, even my dahlias get left out with a mulch for over winter.