Examining Cold Damage in the Garden
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- Examining Cold Damage in the Garden - In this video I look at the cold damage in the garden from this past weekend's cold snap. I won't take action on it until the late winter or early spring.
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I am so glad to have discovered your videos. I am a new landscaper and I have been learning a ton from your work. Very easy to understand and super informative. Thank you!
Thank you for following along. Good luck with everything!
Thanks for your videos. I just removed my covers from my plants, also zone 7b. And I was a little sad some looked bad, but then I saw your video & it gave me hope!!! 😊
Never clicked on a video faster in my life. Lol. I have been so anxious to see the damage in my south Alabama garden. We are spoiled down here. We hardly ever to cover or winterize anything. Last year I never had a drop of frost! I have so many marginal plants that are newly planted. I pray for them. I hope God answers prayers for plants too
A few years ago I had an over 50 yr. old 10' Weigela get bent over to the ground from a heavy snowstorm.
Everyone said to cut it back to the ground which was impossible because it was so dense and I didn't want it to die. It came back on its own (;no fertilizer no nothing) more beautiful than it was before - more uniform with new growth on top & even more blooms too!
Here in north MS, zone 7B, we had lows of 1, 9 and 15, finally reaching a high of 34 degrees on Christmas day. We had those terrible gusting winds the first 24 hours or so of the freeze. I have put off walking around to see the damage because, frankly, there's nothing I can do at this point. And, until today, it has still been pretty cold with lows in 20s and highs in 40s. I didn't cover anything but did pull into unheated garage and shed some potted shrubs that I'm glad now I didn't have a chance to plant. I clustered any potted hardy plants together against the house or fence. My attached, unheated garage has 2 south-facing windows, and the lowest temp I saw there was 39 degrees on the second night of single digit temps. I ran a space heater several times a days (but not at night) out there, and we had bright sunshine those days, so that helped a lot. So far I don't see any damage to the coleus I am overwintering inside the garage. We previously had quite a few nights of lows in the 20s and 30s so most of my plants were dormant, but we had also had some warm days with rain, so some shrubs were pushing foliage, like my mophead hydranges. I'm pretty sure I won't have any mophead blooms next summer, and probably no gardenias either.
We just moved into a newly constructed home in Tulsa in August. Put in so many plantings: trees, shrubs, perennials. The quickness, long duration of the cold and wind has visibly done quite a bit of damage. I was able to water everything well two days before the cold hit. Praying things might come back in the Spring... even if from the ground would be OK. My hellebores in pots out front look really decimated. :(
It got cold quick down here in Aiken SC too buddy! Lost a free things in our nursery as well!! Love your videos👍👍
Thank you for showing the covers coming off and how the plants responded.
Very descriptive how you described freeze damage in the stems of a plant Jim, angular knives when ice crystals form on the interior. I never thought about it that way, but you're correct. 👍 A happy and successful 2023 to you and Steph. :)
I am in Oklahoma 7b too, we dropped to 3 degrees with 50mph winds. I think I lost my new Abelia and Azalea I planted in October during 60 degree weather. It dropped so fast I wasn't prepared to cover it. They don't look great and I pray they come back but not expecting it! I will have to replace them. The fun parts of gardening. haha.
As always, thanks for the great explanations and advice!
Thanks for watching!
I planted a xFatshedera last spring after seeing the one you showed in your yard. Even with a sheet over it, the leaves have turned a tan color. I will be watching for black stems. I had just planted two new Sasanqua Camellias about a month ago. I covered them with leaves and put large tubs over them. They don’t look too happy. Fingers crossed. Thanks so much, Jim, for all the advice and encouragement. Our low temperature here in North Alabama was 8 degrees.
Seeing very similar results here in central Oklahoma. Thanks for sharing some advice and info with us.
Yes! The wind on that first day and the drop in temps got me
My 7a (NJ) had following casualties - i) Madison Confederate Jasmine ii) Camellia October Magic Pink Perplexion iii) Yuletide Camellia (considerable damage but will survive). What has survived i) More hardy camellias rated 6B or higher ii) Little Galaxy Agapanthus.
My Florida Sunshine Elysium, planted after seeing Jim's in a video, is one of mine that looks a bit slammed. I'm worried because I've lost more fall-planted trees and shrubs here in SW VA, Z6B, than I ever did living much farther north. In the north, intense cold usually comes after an insulating deep snow. Here in the Blue Ridge, our lows are apt to occur without any snow cover. Based on Jim's prior teaching, I think new plants with roots in the top 1-2" can die because they can't take up water when that soil layer stays frozen.
Now add to that this deep dive. We had had very low temps before this polar vortex. But it had been very mild, and our cold also came on fast when it did. I had some new hydrangeas, planted in late summer or early fall, that thought they were still in Oregon! They went from fairly lush to crispy. I should have covered them.
Thank you for showing us this damage. Also your January to do list. I garden in Texas zone 8 and depend on pansies to carry me through the season, that cold snap effected them worse than I've ever seen before. I appreciate seeing you sharing your garden damage as a teaching tool to the rest of us. I'm a yankee at heart and still learning to garden in the South.
I am just crossing all my fingers and toes that this spring everything makes it.
Jim I'm glad you showed your rosemary. Just a little tip damage on our standard type rosemary in Z8a but it's interesting that the prostrate groundcover type rosemary right next to it turned 100% brown and stems appear dead already. Same age plants. We had 7F here even tho warmer hardiness zone than you.
I once heard someone say that when you cover your plants in winter against frost, the covering must not lie on top of the plant, it must not touch the plant, because the top leaves still burn from the cold. So some structure must be made with iron rods or bamboo and the frost cloth must be thrown over the structure, not touching the plant. I have done this in our own garden, and it works. Thanx for all the informative videos. Greetings from South Africa.
I agree the freezing dry winds were brutal! I piled large leaves around shrubs & perennials. Thank you for walking through this.
In zone 5b Cleveland Ohio with temps of -1 and with wind chill -25 for a week and I had just planted a beautiful Japanese maple this fall but didn’t drop any leaves during the cold weather . Hopefully it will survive these harsh temps
I had bags of leaves around my new plants and either plastic buckets or shade cloths to protect them from the wind in zone 7a. It is the best I could do to contend with the sudden cold wave.
Nice! That works great
I should’ve done something like this living in zone 8 with the cold wave last week. All my planties died :(
I feel better now that I’ve seen Jim’s Farfugium, because that plant of mines definitely looked dead-dead; I always learn so much from Jim’s videos!
I'm so grateful for your expertise, Jim. Thank you! Because of watching your earlier video on cold protection, I did cover my Farfugium and Fatsia Spider's Web, which are planted together against the house and luckily, they came out fine. I did not cover a Foster's #2 Holly tree I had just planted around 2 weeks before the storm, but it didn't have any cold damage, thankfully. I had an uncovered Sage plant in a terra cotta pot that I forgot about come out just fine, that's a tough plant! I'm NC zone 8a, I think the coldest we got down to was 19, so we were very lucky.
We got to 0 here in SW Kentucky, 7A. Wind chill was pushing -15 or so I think. Cold stuff. Reminded me of PA when I lived there.
It's interesting to see the difference that can exist between two locations that are both in zone 7b. We got down to 3 degrees over the weekend, which would be zone 7a I believe. Now we used to be listed as zone 7a until the last zone revision, so this isn't that surprising. Have survived this cold spell fairly unscathed, but it is always interesting which plants suffer the most damage. Great information for preparing for the next cold spell.
Thanks Jim, for all the info. We just had a very cold few weeks here in Vancouver BC (must actually be Z8a after listening to your temps). We went down to -7 or -8C (17 or 18F) which is 6 or so degrees lower than usual. Then we had the most snow in one day on record. We have huge trees around us and a large branch fell - hit a couple of shrubs, luckily not one of my favourites, and a large branch from our treasured, cloud pruned 20 -25 year old pine. The shrubs are fine. I bring in my pots except for the ones I can't lift: a couple of boxwoods and hydrangeas. I figure the Japanese acers will be fine - even in pots. I know my waxleaf privet next to the house will have some sad looking leaves, but it will live . I hate to ask you to do more work, because your videos are already so informative, but when you tell us your temperature, could you throw the centigrade temp up on the screen for us gals up here?🇨🇦 It's good to know how to handle the damage when it does happen. Have a happy New Year.
This was SO helpful. I’m still a clueless, new gardener, and I didn’t even think to cover up my plants before the recent cold storm. 😅This information is really timely as I’m trying to evaluate damage to the plants. The detailed explanations are great!
Zone 6b. We went from 45 Friday morning to a very windy 4 overnight, and it hasn't been above freezing since. The only thing I covered was an Illicium, planted in the spring. Uncovered it this afternoon and it's a little squished from the blanket, but looks fine. I rake leaves onto my beds and shrubs, and most have been dormant for awhile. I took a tour at lunch today, and several things look pretty unhappy, but none look dead. But winter is only beginning. :)
The cold was so deep & how long it stayed below freezing was so long, I'm thinking I've had lots of damage in N. Georgia. We had a dusting of snow last night but temps weren't that bad. Had a low of 2° & 48 hours below freezing. Oddly, my AccuWeather told me air quality was excellent & I should "enjoy my usual outdoor activities" 😧
I'm saving any gift money I got for replacement plants come spring.
I'm so glad I covered everything I possible could her in TX it went from 69 to -7. Tomorrow will be 72! It's just bizarre weather! But my plants look great after mulching like you said, then covered them with large nursery cans and then blankets and then a tarp. Thanks for all your advice! My babies all still look great!
We're in 6b NW Arkansas. The quick severe drop hit my Sunshine Ligustrums...they're brown now but mature...hopefully will leaf out in spring. Tomorrow is forecasted at 55! This weather is crazy!
I am waiting to see how all of my fall and early winter still potted plant sale purchases have reacted. I put them pot to pot behind low wood enclosures- but did not cover them. 🤔
Thanks I knew you'd have information on cold damage
With your opening line, I must reconsider what did some plants in. Freeze cloth or sheets worked well on some, but not all. Lawn bags mostly failed. Wooden clothes pins are no match for wind. Surprisingly, the covered tea olive's red leaves and flowers turned brown, but the confederate jasmine and coral honeysuckle look fine.
Super informative video! I have several hellebores as well, and I didn’t know about their “anti-freeze.” Good to know!
Your video came at just the right time. I had just been out in my garden surveying the damage (I am also on the east coast but zone 6b/7a). I was surprised to see how badly some of my plants looked, including a very pathetic looking elderberry. Hope everything bounces back come spring!
Of my 6 sweet potato vines, the one that's trellis trained, over 14 ft long and in full bloom is the only one that took a sad hit from the freak low Temps here in SW Florida. I think it will survive now that its warming up, but it definitely isn't happy right now. If it gets hit again in mid January when we're supposed to get a cold front it won't make it out alive.
We got down to -1 outside of Memphis! Before we left I covered plants in leaves. We shall see what we come home to in a couple days 🙏🏼
You are so knowledgeable, this video was very informative and I'm so glad you made it.
Hello Jim, I had never heard of "plant antifreeze." That is funny. As always love your videos. Elsa
Very informative as usual! I’m going to uncover plants today here in south Texas, zone 9a. The wind was horrendous here.
Now, tell us what, if anything, we should do!
Wow! An antifreeze? Amazing! There is hope for my collection.
Thanks for great info about cold damage. Hope your plants recover. I'm eastern ks. zone 6. Luckily we had already had prolonged cold before negative tem ps and -35 degree wind chill. Hoping for survivors too. Enjoy working channel.
For me in GA the osmanthus suffered more than anything else...the two that are obviously hurt a bit are 'variegata' and 'ogon' and they were big ,well established plants...the other things I thought would get damaged had no problems, so I was happy... One evergreen viburnum , I think called pringlei looks gray and rough, but it'll come back I'm sure....
Ah, I was just wondering about this today xD my hydrangeas had tried to bud fresh leaves that got bit by the sudden cold lol.
My hellebores look great this fall. Thanks for the info about their cold tolerance. I covered them bc I wasn’t sure how they’d do. 3 days of hard freezes in 9a
Thank you for good info on what is on every gardener’s mind right now. Few days ago FedEx brought me some Japanese maples and the 1 gallon pots were frozen solid. How long can roots stay frozen before permanent damage sets in? They seem fine now. Thanks again!
This was absolutely wonderful information! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with the cold effects on plants. We have gad unusual Temps this winter and I was concerned about some of my shrubs and what to look for and what to do. Thanks Jim.
Thanks again for your helpful info here in Raleigh. I decided I would just let sleeping dogs…er, plants lie until later in winter/early spring and then assess the damage. They’ll either live or die in my garden…😂. Here’s to a Happy New Year 🎉
Super informative, Jim! That was really helpful, thanks so much for this video.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for all of the great info. I took a risk with some plants this year just to see how far I could push them. It will be interesting to see which can take it. I’m betting that some will make it just fine. A few, not so much.
My smaller butterfly bushes look the same. I will wait for another day to uncover my more tender stuff.7B MS We got down to 5. Power was shut off by power co for 30 min.(roving planned blackout) Greenhouse dropped to just below freezing but no damage as it didn’t last long.
Thanks for great information! I had to lower my expectations for what comes back in the spring. We dropped to -40 wind chill here in N. KS for several days. It was a once in a generation or lifetime cold snap. Most the things I planted could possibly withstand our -20 wind chills but not -40. It will be surprising to see what made it through this crazy cold winter.
I live in Texas zone 8a. The temps got down to the high teens with wind chill in the single digits. I covered my plants with sheets. Some looked great after uncovering and some looked sad and dark in color. I will definitely wait to trim until winter is over but should I water them now?
I recently saw Florida Sunshine at the US arbo in DC - I think they are just hardier than some of the other illicium floridanum. Mine looks just fine (not covered) while my gray ghost and others like halleys comet and pink frost are far more stressed. We got down to 9. Pineapple guava did well in Houston in their epic freeze a few years ago. It really is pretty hardy once established.
that was fun!!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks Jim, great information! ⛄️❄️💚🙃
Thanks for this great useful info, Jim. Linda, Houston
I’m in zone 7A my rosemary turned brown , we got down to around 2 degrees for for about 10 hours
Good afternoon Jim. Loving all the information you give !!!! Zone 7A. Our temps are going to get above freezing and rain coming. Most of my plants are still under leaves and snow. Curious if it would be a good idea to try and remove the leaves I’m afraid the plants are going to stay too wet. What do you think?
Thank you for this great information. Here from central New Jersey, experiencing very similar temperatures like NC. My camelias are looking kind of sad with this bitter cold, they were planted in the late summer early fall this year. Do you think they will be okay? I’m also worry about three crape myrtles I planted during this time also 😊. I’m still learning a lot 😊 thank you for such a great channel learned lots from you!
Will you recover anything since it will still get below freezing at night or should everything be asleep now? Just trying to get an idea for how to respond to the temperature fluctuations for the rest of the season. Thanks for all the great & much needed advice!
I’m in North Texas 8a and I fear that I’ve probably lost all my 14 new Distylium “Cinnamon Girl” shrubs which I planted after the snowmageddon event two winters ago. So frustrating, expensive and really hard on my back! 😢
💙GOOD INFO‼️💙
I got down to 8 here in Franklinton about 25 miles north of Raleigh. I did protect some of my more sensitive things. With me being in a more rural outlying area I have had a lot more nights in the mid and upper 20s here then Raleigh has, how ever I think the duration of freezing is what did a lot of the damage here. My ground is still frozen solid despite it being 43 right now.
I agree, here in louisburg, I know my overwintering brassicas survive these freeze events, but never for so many days. Didn't make out so well this time around.
@@dehnadykeman3614 I had my 4 largest cabbage survive mostly unharmed and I had about 4 out of about 50 broccoli plants survive but they are damage enough to where I don't think they will make much of a head now. I know it is was bad when the spinach and kale got heavily damaged but most of them did manage to survive.
I have a little plastic greenhouse over a sago palm wich is in the soil. Two other sagos are in a pot also in the greenhouse. I had incandescent lightbulbs around the big sago that’s in the soil. After a few days frost ( 12 degrees one night) the sagos leaves all look dry and smell like straw. I am in Zone 8a. I am so curious if they have died…..
I've been wondering exactly WHY this storm has created more garden damage here in my zone 8, Central Texas location, than the infamous Snowmageddon storm we experienced a couple of years ago.
While the nights in this storm have been the coldest temperatures below freezing, some of the days have been well above freezing.
And I believe you stating the damage incurred will have everything to do with how fast it gets cold, along with severe wind also being a factor, must be the difference.
I'm a long-time gardener here in zone 8, but I don't have ANY zone 5 and 6 Winter gardening experience!
Which is what the temperatures these storms have brought to us these past 3 years.
My Zone 8, is supposed to be around 20° as the coldest.
I realize this is just a guide based on our past weather averages, and there's no guarantee on any of it.
And while I'm knowledgeable about winterizing, covering, and generally protecting plants for zone 8 conditions, as well taking care for a very short, even more severe, cold snap, these past 3 years of
SUPER COLD STORMS
are all a big learning experience for me!
For instance, in this Christmas storm, all my thicker leaved daffodils that already had leaves up (which is normal for Daffs down here) they are now severely damaged with the leaves above the ground turned to mush.
However, the Daffs right next to them, with extremely thin leaves, are not showing any damage at all.
The damage from the Snowmageddon storm was very consistent by killing ALL my daffodils. Of coarse, the ones in pots, even though they were covered with a sheet froze completely, as well as ALL the daffodils in the ground too!
By contrast, right now, my Bearded Iris is showing about a 50% mush factor.
(Even though they were heavily mulched with leaves.)
This is the one plant reaction I was most curious about since it basically danced through the consistent Snowmageddon temps of -5° for 6 days straight, with zero damage from that storm.
Which I was amazed about!
Of coarse, they later expressed their dislike for that storm by refusing to flower that year!
But that's just Iris, being Iris.
Aside from the snow cover we got in Snowmageddon supposedly being a "blanket of insulation", (which turned out NOT to be true for most everything), the biggest difference in these 2 storms has been this one having temperature swings of 25° to 40°or more from days to nights.
And now my iris is at half mush,
and SOME of the daffodils have been compromised.
Of coarse, I'm still holding out hope for the Daffs who were still all the way underground !
I'm not sure I'll ever get this SUPER COLD WEATHER
thing figured out so I can have Daffodils come back every year!
I sure hope this weather isn't permanent!
But if it is -
Maybe I'll be able to have Tulips too?
Signed,
Trying To Look On The Bright, Colorful Side In The South...
I live in zone 5B our local box store has arborvitae’s brought in for the holidays. They are now on clearance, but the soil in the plastic pot is frozen. Do you think they will be alive come spring if I put them in an outdoor sheltered area? 🐝 solid.
In zone 8a. Had a Chinese fringe tree where the leaves on top have turned brown. Can I prune the top branches on it? I assume I will lose the spring blooms this year at the top. We had five days below freezing at night. Unusual.
Jim, I live in the Atlanta Northeast area , 4 of my Nandinas that i planted last summer , 2 of them lost alot of their foliage during the very cold brutal cold that came through about 3 weeks ago. Will they come back and regrow their folliage in the spring time?
OK, wait to cut anything back until weeks or months later. But what about now? Should we water to protect from more freezes coming this winter? I'll continue to cover the newer plants but don't have enough material to protect them all.
They should be well asleep now. I would only cover for below normal temperatures
Jim, thanks for this video! I am just north of Atlanta. My fatshedra leaves are black! Almost the entire plant. It's a fairly mature plant. Do I cut it way back? Also my Abelias look completely dead. No leaves or anything green at all. What should I do with those? Thank you!
Fascinating Jim, thank you. So, do Pansies have the protein that acts like an antifreeze? They always look so delicate but muster through each winter! I think that it is a compliment to call someone “a Pansie!” 😂
I love the look of hellebores but live in zone 9b. Anything sneaky I can do to get them to grow in my area? Containers?
Jim, are you going to tree form your Pineapple Guava or grow it as shrub?
Quick question!
Does dwarf hinoki cypress develop a yellow coloration in the winter?
My question is mostly unrelated to topic except for being seasonal. One of our local big box stores is selling off Alberta dwarf spruce (live in container), but they are flocked. I had to look that up. Will that process damage the spruce? Also, if we buy these kind of “holiday” containers of normally outdoor plants now, have they been indoors too long and will they just die soon even if we keep them inside until spring? I’m in snow-filled zone 5a and those plants are zone 3. Thanks and Happy Holidays.
Ik I sure came back to rapid drop in temperature. Came back to Michigan from a vacation in Miami was 80 there came back to 1 degree back home in Michigan. Of course it never rose above 10 degrees for 4 days after coming home. 😂 ik not plant related at all.
What would happen if we simple just CUTBACK our plants (not sure what the date would be) in the 'Start of Winter' especially if they are not asleep? This is the 3rd year now with these quick winter storms and we cannot seem to protect them.😔 Zone 8A got 5 days at 9,11, 18, 22
I had some New Zealand Flax get hit with the freeze in Texas. Would you cut them back this early or wait until early spring? The plant looks dead.
I’d be pretty surprised if your agapanthus didn’t come back, because for me in zone 6a Buffalo, the temperature will often plummet & they’ll do that and they’ll just come back fine the next year. It got down to about 9° or so in my garden but we also got 3 to 4 feet of snow! So I can’t see some of my plants still!
As a group hardy in 6 to 10, but a lot of the hybrids are 8 to 10.
I grew up in Buffalo and the snow will act as an insulator ! Good luck with the recovery this winter- all around☃️
My favorite staple in my limited imagination is the loropetalum , and all of mine of various sizes and ages got massacred. Even those brave soldiers, Nandina, have dropped all of their leaves. My hellebores, the cockroaches of the perennial world, are just fine!
Why’d you skip right over the palm?! The one part I was waiting for lol.
Both Palms were unfazed! I didn't cover them
I noticed today that all the leaves have fallen off my tea olives. Does that mean their done for or might they rebound in spring?
Happened to mine as well..
Scratch test is not promising at all
Jim,
Just curious--how cold does Mother Nature have to make it before she gets ya to actually wear a coat? 🤔😉
Florida Anise has a pitiful wilt in the cold (especially during this cold snap).. but seems to go into and out of wilt with grace. It was 10F here & I didn’t have a chance to protect it so we’ll see.. still wilted this afternoon. My Rosemary has 5 green leaves the rest are black 😢 Some of my pansies look sad.. the smaller ones. How did your pansies and violas do in the cold?
The others are wilted, that grey ghost has actual foliage damage. I knew it was going to. It has just had a tough time in that spot. Pansies will be ok. That was the limit of the amount of time they can stay frozen without water though
Jim, thanks for the great advice. Looks like many of your plants will make it. I have question I’ve been meaning to ask, I’m here in 7A Virginia and I lost both of my Narihira Mahonias last yr due to 7” of snow. They had been in ground for a few yrs but they were on the north side foundation of our house. Both turned black and never came back. However our Marvel mahonia got bent over from the snow storm in the same location and is thriving. I want to plant more mahonia varieties so should I look for the thicker larger leaf varieties and stay away from the small ribbon leaf mahonias? Thx!
Some Mahonia are now 6 hardy and some are only zone 7 hardy. Marvel is a good one for a zone 6 winter
Interesting how fast
Jim plant encyclopedia
I heard you a few days ago dismissing the wind chill factor. I believe it is a very strong factor in the affects we saw in our plant damages this past weekend.
Yes the wind is an issue, but not the wind chill temperature. The plants don't feel colder because it is windy, but the wind can cause desiccation
Yeah cold for days kils
Can I now go ahead and water my plants right now. I'm in zone 8a.
Definitely. We had a ton of rain before the cold. As it thaws that water will be available
@@JimPutnam thank you
I dropped you a email. Thank you. Also, thank you for all the content you have took the time out to upload. :)
AWESOME CHANNEL!