At first glance, everything looks good in the garden. Tulips are appearing daily, there are buds on shrubs, and the dreaded horsetail has yet to re-emerge. Look closer though and there’s a battle between life and death going on.
The recent bizarre weather has definitely taken its toll. Even before this week’s below freezing night-time temperatures, the garden has veered erractically between hot sun and snow showers. The plants are confused and several have given up the fight.
This rosemary is a substantial bush that’s been in the garden for many years. It normally ignores whatever the weather throws at it but a couple of weeks ago it started to look somewhere between life and death. Some parts are still green, others are decidedly ailing.
It grows alongside a large broad-leaved sage that is also looking at little weather worn. Again, it’s a plant that usually copes fine with low winter temperatures.
I think the only thing to do is try to take cuttings of both – something I’m not very good at – and dig them up. They’re too far gone to respond to merely cutting out the dead.
The Kniphofia rooperi are another unexpected casualty. Again, plants that are usually trouble-free but this year both clumps seem to have died off. There are small green pieces in places so I’m going to leave them and hope that I can eventually cut back to healthy growth.
In the meantime, I’m just hoping that the damson and plum trees survive the frosts. I daren’t think about the wisteria, which has been hit by frost three years running.
One consequence of the cold start to the season has been that, unlike last year, the dahlias are still under cover. The potting shed is crammed with them. There’s barely enough room for me to squeeze in.
The greenhouse is even more crowded – and I’ve sown only a fraction of this year’s seed! I think next year I will need to invest in more staging as there’s a lot of wasted vertical space.
At least the tulips seem impervious to the cold. They may be flattened by frost but it’s only temporary and they soon pick themselves up once the temperature rises.
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It is so reassuring to read from a seasoned gardener that they too struggle with the odd fatality and that it is not just me. I tend to take it very personally when something dies, assuming that it is something that I have or have not done but obviously that is not always the case. Hopefully this topsy turvy weather will sort itself out soon and we can start to enjoy our successes.
It’s so easy to think it must be something you’ve done wrong. I fear that with the weather becoming increasingly erratic, sudden plant death may happen more often. I just tell myself it’s a planting opportunity 🙂
Me too! I have lost an old Elaeagnus ’Limelight’ and I blamed myself because I removed some lower stems so I could plant beneath.
Another dear friend’s 30 year old ceanothus has keeled over for no apparent reason!
It’s so annoying, especially if it’s something structural. Mind you, 30 years for a ceanothus is good going. They’re not usually terribly long lived.
I did tentatively suggest this to him. Also it flowered so profusely last year, I think it may have been it’s death throes.
As you say, a planting opportunity!
It’s the only way to look at it.
I have also lost Wisteria to late frosts the last few years.Last year was particularly severe and a lot of damage was done to several shrubs/plants. Does anyone have any experience of using the candles used in vineyards.? https://cropcandle.co/
I’ve seen that done in France in commercial orchards etc. I’m not sure how well it would work in a garden – I’d probably set the place alight.