Harsh winter losses

[fleurbleue]

I have just checked my Podophyllum difformis, delavayi, versipelle, Spotty Dotty and peltatum pots under cold frame and...      all have frozen. I fear some other plants have gone on the same way.

[Maggi Young]

Oh, Nicole, that is  so disappointing. Are they completely dead? Are you sure? Maybe there will be some tiny piece left with life to re-grow?

[Philippe]

Noticed the same here, even for plants I would never have thought they could be armed by the cold.
But not to forget, the fact that before the strong coldwave in early february, we didn't have had any winter at all, with few or only very light and temporary frosts, and often spring-like high temperatures during the days. The -10/-15°C several days long without any snowcover in the lowlands just came completely unexpected for the vegetation which was generaly already about to come in growth again at that time, and thus suffered by far much more than would have done on a "normal" winter.

[fleurbleue]

Thank you Maggi   but all buds and roots around the pots are rotten...   I'll keep an eye on the pots but no great hope.

[fleurbleue]

Philippe, I agree totally with you ; new growth in January made them too delicate 

[Philippe]

I have seen that most of the really simple and so much easy myosotis have just completely burned out. A rambling rosetree I have since 10 years, and which grew without any help, seems dead to the ground, maybe it shoots up again later, but I have never seen it so bad.
Not a word about my 5/6 years old trachelospermum jasminoides, which grows close to the house wall and was given several layer to reduce the frost/icy wind bite: it just looks thoroughly dried now. But well, this isn't a outdoor-plant for NE France I guess.
Many young hepaticas nobilis gave up the fight, such a pity..Just as saxifraga cotyledon too, and some others usual and currently seen garden-evergreen euonymus.
Yes a really harsh 2 weeks-winter
Fortunetaly, we had plenty of snow at that time upthere in the alpine garden, and the -25°C observed once or twice during the coldwave in the Vosges could not arm the alpine plants. Was there yesterday to have a walk around, still so much snow, 1 meter, but the few rhodos which weren't wise enough to hide completely in the snow have just seen their tops badly "toasted"

[Armin]

If I say 'you are not alone' I'm not sure it helps anything to deminish the losses but may help to share the pains

see my reply #164+
http://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=8707.150

[fleurbleue]

Yes, so sad too Armin 

[Armin]

Nicole,
thanks - it hurts but the weather was really unfavourable.
But all those species who survived are healthy and strong. This motivates me again.

[Philippe]

I really find that the weather in the last years is giving more and more adaptation problems to the plants we once grew perhaps easier. I think of those violent winter cold periods that turn up out of nothing from one day to the other, of the springs which become drier and drier year after year, obliging even the local vegetation to fade more or less sometimes before the summer onset. Think of those nightmare summers we had in 2003/2006, and from time to time on some other years after that.
Taking care of particular plants was alreday a quite challenging task, but it now looks like it's going to be even more challenging.