Come spring, we knew there’d be a lot of damage to plants.  With the worst winter in a century, plants were bound to feel the effects.

We didn’t know that here at the beginning of July, we’d still see plants affected from last winter’s polar vortex.

Here are five easy steps to determine whether or not it’s time to let go, cut your losses and replace the plant or wait for it to recover.

1. Assess the damage.

What percent of the plant is dead? Twenty five? Fifty? Seventy five? Is the plant deciduous or evergreen? Have there been any signs of recovery so far?  

Deciduous plants (those that lose their leaves every fall) tend to grow faster and can recover from even 75% die back.  For deciduous plants that haven’t fully recovered and show little sign of developing leaves, trim those branches. You’ll improve the look of the plant, remove dead tissue and allow the plant to fill out. 

Many evergreen plants will have a difficult time recovering from 75% die back, but should have no problem recovering from 25%.

For evergreens, look for new growth.  Is the foliage still brown or bronze from winter? If there is still some discoloration and the plant is still alive, you may want to spray it with “Get it Green” to temporarily mask the brown color until the plant produces new foliage. Any dead stems with brown leaves and no sign of growth should be removed.

Get it Green is a colorant available in a “ready-to-use” bottle or a concentrate spray that makes the plant green instantly.

This winter was particularly hard on some types of plants. Butterfly bush may have died all the way to the ground, leaving you with a lot of dead, woody stems, and a little bit of growth coming from the base of the plant. In this case, cut all the dead stems out, and the plant will recover. By the end of the summer, it will be big and bloom just like usual.

Broadleaf evergreens like boxwood and holly were particularly hit, especially if they were in areas where the snow was piled upon them, or exposed to harsh winter winds. Sometimes this damage can be trimmed out and the plants can recover.  If there’s too much damage, you might want to replace them because they’re in very prominent locations within your landscape.

2. Determine the plant’s worth in the landscape.

Is it a focal point, or is it a border hedge or filler plant?   If it’s a focal point and has suffered a lot of damage, you may want to replace the plant if it has more than 50% damage.  If it’s a background filler plant that’s not critical to the landscape, could be left to recover over time. Hedge plants that are front and center like boxwood or yews may need to be replaced, if the damage is too severe.  It’s all depends on what you can live with.

3. Identify steps that have already been taken. 

Have you fertilized? Have you trimmed out the dead?  An application of a general purpose organic fertilizer like Plant Tone or Holly Tone for evergreens will help encourage new growth, especially if you don’t regularly fertilize your plants. Removing any visibly dead branches will open it up to allow air and light to penetrate, and encourage new growth. Insects and decay thrive if dead tissue is left on the plant.

4. Evaluate recovery so far.

Is the plant producing new foliage? Do you see any signs of new life? Even if it’s just a little bit at the base of the plant, it’s a sure sign the plant wants to live.  If it’s a Japanese Maple and all the growth is coming from the ground, it may take years to fully recover and develop into a nice tree.  In this case, it might be best to cut your losses and replace it.  
 
If it’s a hydrangea and leaves are coming from the base, you might be surprised at how fast it will grow once the summer heat really kicks in.  Many rose bushes died back quite far – some to the ground.  Be sure to cut out any blackened or dead canes to allow the rose to recover.  Roses can be cut back to just a few inches above the crown and still come back just fine.  Remove any dead branches and fertilize with a good quality, organic fertilizer, such as Espoma Rose Tone.

5. Make the final determination.

Armed with this information, you’ll be able to determine if your plant is worth saving or it needs to go. There’s nothing wrong with giving plants time, sometimes it’s just a matter of how patient you’re willing to be and how important an area it is to your landscape. 

Need more advice, come visit the experts at English Gardens. We offer good advice to grow on every day.

And we have great information to protect your plants for next winter!