Winter damage

Discussion in 'Outdoor Gardening in the Pacific Northwest' started by jbutts, Jan 16, 2009.

  1. jbutts

    jbutts Member

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    Location:
    Burnaby Canada
    I've just been outside for the first time in days (nasty cold bug!) to de-ice some baby shrubs in the front yard of my Burnaby house. And the news is not good. First of all, the daphne odora is badly broken down to the base of all but one branch-- and the one remaining is pretty much parallel to the ground. Then the smoke bush-- bent right over, but at least nothing is broken. The pieris is also bent almost double, again, not broken. Two of the most protected rhodos are badly brown-leaved-- they are under the vent for the dryer but that hasn't been a problem before this. And then there are my euphorbias--totally blackened.

    Is there any hope for any of these? Should I do anything NOW? I thought I might try hardwood cutting propagation of the broken daphne branches-- any hope in that?

    J
     
  2. K Baron

    K Baron Well-Known Member

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    Location:
    North Vancouver, B.C., Canada
    I think the Daphne is toast, do try take cuttings though... the extreme winds we had prior to the yardage of snow, has equally done a number on every gardener's plants in the Metro Vancouver region... Seattle was spared of our woes...wait out for the thaw, you could do more damage unless we receive another metre of snow!
     
  3. jimmyq

    jimmyq Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Metro Vancouver, BC, Canada.
    Cotinus can survive a very hard pruning if the root system is old enough to support it.
     
  4. jbutts

    jbutts Member

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    Location:
    Burnaby Canada
    It's probably a three year old shrub, bought in the early summer at Cedar Rim. So it'd only been in the ground 6 months or so, but good solid root ball at that time. The pieris might be younger, and was planted a little later. Jimmyq, you don't mention my unfortunate Daphne...

    J
     
  5. JCardina

    JCardina Active Member

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    Location:
    Comox, Vancouver Island, British Columbia Canada
    Our smoke bush was flattened as well. I've found over the years that there are two choices: when it's first snowing shaking it off periodically, but if you miss that then it's best to leave most stuff encased in snow or ice because more damage ensues from freeing it or shaking off the ice than if it were left to melt naturally.
     
  6. jbutts

    jbutts Member

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    Location:
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    De-snowed William Shakespeare 2000 (a David Austen)-- a bit broken up, but probably salvageable--really hope so, it's definitely one of my surprises--a David Austen that looks good for me! I've just cut off all the broken branches from Daphne, and make hardwood cuttings of them. Not very hard, tho'. Leaves mostly blackened. Meanwhile, on the other side of the garden, sheltered under cedar trees, the Stella d'Oro is shooting up, as are many of the iris'.
     

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