Super-Freeze Follow Up

I mentioned last week I'd post about the state of the garden post-deep freeze 2013. Here's a photo journal of the results - all taken on Christmas Day, 2013. There are many winners and a few fried fellows. Here we go!

First up, the sedums! 

    All the sedums made it, no surprise to anyone who grows these hardy lovelies. These first two are Sedum spathulifolium - the purpureum variety (I think purpureum, but these things change colors frequently). Native to my area.

 Here is some Sedum oreganum, also native to my area. Mixed in is moss and some Sedum album; not native but quite hardy.

Sedum oreganum, looking fab as usual! This grows in all kinds of nooks and crannies at Chickadee Gardens.

Sedum spathulifolium 'Cape Blanco' - does well in Winter but does go a little sparse and loses some of its whiteness. But, native and gorgeous. 

 The ecoroof is looking fine - did not lose anything, but the pennisetum (which had a needed haircut late Fall) looks bad. Sedums are spreading and doing quite well.

 Pittosporum crassifolium 'Compactum' (I think, it was a NOID tough love sale at Cistus in 2012). My friend Loree of Danger Garden blogged about it here, I love it as much as she does. It got a bit fried at the tips, but I think he'll pull through fine, don't you? (please say yes!)....Not native but a hardy addition to this climate.

 Lonicera hispidula or Hairy Honeysuckle, native to this area. It has been evergreen for me and continues to impress. It has pink blooms in Summer but it has never bloomed for me. Not yet. Which is fine. Really. Not a huge fan o' pink.

Hebe 'Champion' purchased at Portland Nursery to replace a beautiful native penstemon that bit the dust last Summer. This, although not native, is evergreen and looks quite good to me! 

 This Coppertone sedum had no chance **sigh** ... I loved it so. I even wrapped it and covered it and did all I could - but it just wasn't meant to be. Not a winner....only hardy to zone 9 so I can't be THAT surprised.

 Polypodium scouleri - Leather-leaf fern. Native, gorgeous, doing quite well. Winner!

Cunninghamia lancelota 'Glauca' or China Fir, a standout in the winter garden. Native to China, purchased at the Lan Su Chinese Garden plant sale some four years ago. Winner!

Hebe pimeleoides 'Quick Silver' - looking just fine. Winner! 

 Lewisi cotyledon, a native and a winner. Looking quite lovely and will be even better this Spring with whorls of orange salmon flowers exploding out of its sides. Just needs good drainage. 

Hmm...an Arctostaphylos 'Martha Ewan'....doesn't look very good, does it? Maybe she'll pull through..I hope so, Arctostaphylos are among my favorite plants and native, too.

Another Arctostaphylos, right next door to the above Martha Ewan variety, this one is 'Panchito'. So far so good. 

 Mahonia nervosa or Cascade Oregon Grape, native to the area, the state flower! Yellow blooms that turn to purple black berries, evergreen fabulous plant. Turns these gorgeous shades in cold weather. Lovely lovely lovely.

 Oxalis oregana, native redwood sorrel. This one doesn't look so bad, but see the next:

 Wow, this stuff which is usually semi-evergreen just turned to mush. I am, however, confident it will come back with gusto.

 The new vine maple Acer circinatum 'Pacific Fire'...gorgeous bark! Deciduous and will do fine despite the cold, I just wanted to include it because of its gorgeousness in the middle of Winter.

 The star jasmine or Trachelospermum jasminoides did just fine. I thought it would have frozen solid, but I think because it's semi-protected it survived despite the drooping leaves it sustained for about a week. It bounced back and looks great. Very surprised by this guy!

 Echeveria setosa - it survived last year with no protection. We'll see about this year. Definitely not hardy in this area but I love him....I gave him protection....we'll see.

 Pittosporum tenuifolium 'James Stirling' I THINK. It was also a tough love sale item at Cistus in 2012. Hmmm....anyone? See below for a detail.

 It wasn't always this color. I think he may be a goner.

Good ol' Salal. Evergreen, native and a beautiful plant with all kinds of virtues.

 Here's an example of why I am trying to add more evergreens to the gardens. Those little circles are sea thrift, a native plant with cute pink Dr. Seuss-like pink poms. The shrubs are Cistus, and they really add something to the ol' hell strip. The deciduous ones are Spiraea douglasii - Douglas spiraea...a great native plant. All winners...they did just fine.

 Polystichum setiferum divisilobum - Soft Shield Fern. Looks fab! Winners!

 Yucca angustissima var. kanabensis...looking great! Native to Southwestern US. Hardy to zone 6, so he did just fine.

 The Loropetalum chinense looks terrible. He's suffered through bad freezes before and come through, just hoping that is the case this time.

 Two NOID yuccas that are just fine...tough ol' guys.

 The Fatshedera lizei 'Variegata' looks fine even after some frozen leaf droop for a week. Came through like a champ.

 Uncinia rubra 'Belindas Finds' looks great. The cats love it though, it suffers more from their fangs than the cold.

 Good ol' sedum basket....looking just fine. I'm sure there are about 28 peanuts buried in there. My thanks to the Blue Jays!

 Orange (not so orange right now) New Zealand sedge always looks fine.

 Choisya ternata 'Sundance' or Mexican Mock Orange looking good. No harm here.

 Hebe looking a bit fried. He's got some eastern exposure, that ol' east wind...

 Phormium NOID - don't know if this guy will make it. He was wrapped up but not looking very perky.

 Native to this area Bear Grass or Xerophyllum tenax. Fab.

 Yellow Eyed Grass or Sisyrinchium californicum. Native, gets a little 'squishy' in the Winter but overall fares well in this weather. A winner for sure.

 Maidenhair Spleenwort. A wonderful little fern, native, yes, looking great. Evergreen, too.

 This was once a Pelargonium sidoides 'Xera Shades', now a fried crispy little thing. First year in the ground so hopefully it will come back...it could just be a deciduous Silver Leaved Geranium. I hope so. Anyone?

 Geum 'Totally Tangerine' looking nice! Very surprised this guy did not suffer more.

 This was once a pineapple lily or eucomis...now a pile of mush. Since they are bulbs, I'm hoping this mushiness does not indicate total death.

 And finally, a native Heuchera micrantha, native Coral Bells. Didn't skip a beat.

All in all I have to say the native plants did really really well despite the fact that the temps were well below our zone's lowest temps. That just makes me even more enthusiastic about their virtues. Many of the plants native to New Zealand also fared well, as did most I have purchased at Xera Plants. 

Until next week, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and here's to a fabulous gardening season in 2014! Do share what is doing well in your garden this week!