Some of my mums didn't make it. I was glad DH blew snow on other parts of flower beds. We had frost 6 feet deep.

All of my roses had started to leaf out and were burned severely by a late hard frost. My plum trees were blooming when the frost hit and so I lost a whole season of plums. Daffodils were hit hard and most didn't bloom at all.

My David Austin Heritage rose looks totally dead... That hurts.....deeply

Oh yeah, my roses look "iffy" too.

We still have snow on the ground, received 18" on Monday, another 2" today so far and it's still coming down. It feels like we will never see spring. Wish I had a real greenhouse!

We still have some snow here and as of yet nothing is coming up. It's very late and I'm swearing to myself that I won't panic.....

Schoolhouse, your garden is so beautiful your garden tour will be a delight to all even if you suffered a handful of losses. Your garden has so much structure to it and nice features that all gardeners coming through will see what a great garden it is and as well, don't forget, they'll all be in the same boat too probably with winter losses so they'll understand. Throw in a bunch of annuals and it will be gorgeous!! Best wishes for a very fun time! After all your hard work getting ready of course! Please share pictures from the tour afterwards.

Thanks for the encouragement thyme, good luck to you too. And thanks for the compliments.

A family member came yesterday and raked all the leaves off my Mom's borders. I think it's a little early for that but then again things are pretty soggy so it may be good to let the soil start drying out as much as it can.

These weird winters can be so damaging, I lost most of my rhubarb patch this year. I think it was because our winter was so mild it had started growing and then WAM! The deep freeze descended on us. I managed to save a few bits, replanted them.

I just love your garden and I'm betting people are in for a treat when the tour is on. Got my fingers crossed you don't end up with too much damage.

Annette

I'm itching to get out there and at least trim off that ugly foliage but it's raining cats and dogs here again this morning. I hope this isn't like that one Spring/early summer when planting had to be put off for so long. Then again I know the moisture will be welcome come July.

I'm going to look up our last frost date to see when I can get the shears out. If I do it too soon the new growth may get nipped as well.

Well I couldn't stand the suspense any longer so I went out with my hand shears during a break in the cool weather this afternoon and did some sample snips here and there. Happy to say that I feel confident the boxwood hedge is green and healthy under the damaged growth from last Fall, which is 2" - 3" long so plenty enough to remove safely.

However, the corkscrew and the pyramid topiary have patches of dead growth on one or more sides. That will have to be cut out and left to recover - which it will, eventually, over a couple years. That's just how it goes. I've been through that before and am always amazed at how well boxwood rejuvenates itself. In the past I've made burlap wind breaks but totally ignored going that extra mile this winter. Just so happened to be one of the coldest. ugh.

The teapot topiary is fair to good, the tea cup was not affected a bit. Must have been because it is lower and didn't receive the brunt of the cold winds.

The last frost date for my county is April 18th. I've been doing my first trimmings on April 20th. for the last two years. Then again the middle of June, first part or middle of August and then the last around September. The boxwood kept on growing right up to November it seemed what with all the long growth I observe. So maybe I'll try a final trim really late to try and prevent that. I've read in England they trim in late winter. I'm not sure if that would work out here, but I'll have to make a note of about how early new growth begins in the Spring. Seems to me then a person would have to worry about frost damage. After 30yrs. I'm still learning! A gardener's lot in life.

Despite the frost heave, the plants in the crescent bed (blue Veronica Spicata) have green foliage emerging already. Not all of the plants survived tho, no huge loss as I wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be with them in this bed. I'll probably go back to planting annuals there. Should I push the plants back into the soil? or will it disturb the root systems too much?

Got a bucket and removed as much Shotweed (yes! it's up and trying to bloom already-grrrrr) as I could see esp. in the courtyard borders. I'm not sure if it will help but at least those plants won't get a chance to bloom and throw seed about.

It was a brutal winter for roses--the worst I've seen in decades. Here's hoping that the spring doesn't have nasty surprises.

Yes mantis, all I could do was watch out the window at the frigid winds whipping those canes about. I should have pruned back perhaps, oh well, should-have could-have. Nothing to do but wait and accept the consequences now.

Cenepk10 - I cut my Abraham Darby (David Austin) down today. It was dead clear back to the base. I'm so sad. It was beautiful these past 5yrs.despite my ignorance in rose care. Also cut my Henry Kelsey rose way back, took out dead canes, accidentally cut off a live cane that was leafing out. ugh.

I took the scissors and started to hand trim the boxwood today. There is hope, there is green underneath but still quite a bit of dead foliage and wood here and there. I got one done and half of another hedge. I was exhausted. Will try and work on them again tomorrow. Right now I think it's better to use the scissors and not electric shears. That I've been doing only for the last couple of years and very well could have been my undoing. Cutting too close too often.

The pyramid topiary - I got a saw and just took it all the way down. It was beyond recovering. The spiral topiary, the top and one whole side is severely damaged. Either I also cut it down or lop off the top and one side and see if that side will recover. It very well might, but will take several or more years.

I was discussing this on another forum and someone from the UK sent me a link about a very serious disease over there called "box blight". The photos in the article look just like my boxwood and the symptoms sound the same. I'm not discounting our horrid winter but it makes me wonder if this disease was present and the weather conditions killed off the affected areas. I need to find out if it is prevalent here in the USA.

Schoolhouse: I could FRENCH KISS you for that post - The death of my Abraham Darby ( I called it the heritage ) but I kept the tags from David Austin- it was Abe Darby- the Pic of a bloom was my MY SCREEN SAVER & wallpaper on my iPhone - THE MOST GORGEOUS ROSE OF ALL TIME- is dead... I haven't pulled it up yet- arghhhh I may need counseling over this- HAHAHAHAHAHA ...I'm not kidding !

My Abe Darby was only 3... A mere toddler- that I coddled, looked over & manured & fed ... My precious Abe Darby has bitten the dust... Woohoooooo waghhhhhhhh ( crying )

Abraham Darby last summer:
{{gwi:660549}}

The pyramid boxwood I took out today:
{{gwi:660551}}

I FEEL YOUR PAIN O My goodness ..That was so gorgeous, schoolhouse - I guess we'll have to adapt .... I hate adapting - but blessing of greater than average proportions are granted for our troubles, don't you know... My kindred spirit... Sigh ....

Oh... Good Lord!!! Those are gorgeous pics, Schoolhouse !!!

Your Abraham Darbys, if on their own roots all might not be lost. They may come back from the root especially if they they were planted a little on the deep side. I only buy roses grown on their own roots for this very reason.

Annette

Annette, that thought came to me too. It used to send out strong healthy canes every year but usually not up from the ground that I can remember. I'm going to wait a while and see what happens. Thanks for the tea and sympathy!

Those two other roses are what I call "old fashioned shrub roses". The pink from my home when I was a child, and the other from the homestead of a friend. They have grown and given me very little trouble all these years. In fact, I don't even mess with them if possible, they seem to prefer that.

Thanks for the hope, Annette ! That's why I haven't pulled it up- I purchased the rose from David Austin-crossing my fingers !!!!

Winter was pretty terrible here. The aucuba is blackened, I lost a sweet viburnum that was about twenty feet tall, hydrangea died back to the ground, rosemary and lavender kicked the bucket. But, the daffodils and hyacinth are blooming and the iris are next.

You know my older English Ivy has extensive die back also, at least the foliage is all brown. It has done this a couple times in the past and revived but this time it looks bad. And it's mostly the patches that I routinely trim. As hard as ivy is to get rid of it's amazing what an ugly mess cold temps can cause. Or it has something to do with the timing of the trims. I'm thinking of ripping it all out and starting over, esp. in the sunken garden where it grows in a retaining wall bed and a circular bed. Also around the border of the courtyard where I trim it back from the pavers.

You can see in my second photo of the pyramid boxwood, the damaged ivy - behind and to the left.

That stuff, schoolhouse - is background music in my garden- over by the oaks... With the heliobores

Viburnum dead ? Now that is a loss... Viburnum has to be up there with the top most beautiful shrubs of all time... It may be back ! My brothers' father in law was VERY heavy handed last summer with the miracle grow on 4 enormous old hydrangeas. They appeared to be totally, UTTERLY dead last fall... They are back, baby !!!! Saw them today ! He lost an old Chaste tree, though... That's as heartbreaking as losing Abe Darby.

I had today. I have ancient privet hedge separating the garden from the road. Last summer I cut it back severely about 1.5', basically removing all the tall growth on the side facing the road. It was getting to the point that I could not see to get out my drive even with the yearly simple shearing.

This left the privet hedge with a thinned out appearance, opening it up (I hope) to new growth inside. Well - not only did it open it up, but did I also lose much of my wind break this winter?? That could explain why the boxwood looks as tho it got the full brunt of those frigid winds.

Oh and as I drove through town this morning I noticed many, many homes and businesses have brown, dead looking English Ivy. Must have been a bad winter for ivy for sure.

I think your ivy will spring back... Isn't it a fairly belligerent plant ? I put a sprig over under my oaks - ( where NOTHING GROWS) it's held on by the skin of its teeth. I know... It's painful to lose any plant... The stinking weeds NEVER get killed though.

I want to see more of that fabulous garden, schoolhouse !!!!!

My confederate jasmine has no sign of life- neither do my black diamond crepe myrtles... I have to quit obsessing ... Sigh

Cenepk10 if I showed you pics of the garden now you may be frightened. I did take photos though on purpose to put into the garden albums to remind me of just how bad the boxwood fared "The Winter of 2013-14)". I could post last year's but right now not much is blooming either.

Well... When I get out of this traffic & get home- I'll upload some of my pics to make you feel better. ( about yours, that is )

Here's a peek !

More

Here's the ghost of Abraham Darby :(

And !!! Let's don't forget my Ivy patch ! ( patch ... Hmmm. Very appropriate ! )

Confederate Jasmine ! What Confederate Jasmine, you ask ? EXACTLY !!!!

Last one ... I semi promise !

Hey !!! But not all is lost !!! Abraham Lincoln's' root stock keeps coming up ! I've pinched and pinched and pinched those suckers off - to no avail !!!! Lost 2 Abrahams this past winter ...

This post was edited by Cenepk10 on Tue, Apr 22, 14 at 19:30

Winter damage ? Disappointing ... Vole damage ? Makes me almost cry. Relentless bastids... We need a whole ' nother column to recount those losses ...

I can`t begin to say how much vole damage I have had last year. I have scattered vole repellant everywhere and will spray with a caster oil spray. Hopefully I might have a little luck!!!

Dem voles... I HATE EM. my kitty is now eating them. I poisoned them - they just move over 3-4 feet....They must be eaten !!!! I'm sure the poison is a waste of money ! The kitty was a gift-