Blog: How that last blast of cold can be the most damaging of all
Following my December blog on Frozen Plants, I decided to revisit the topic after last week’s icy blast of Arctic weather to see what has survived frost damage during an alternately cold and damp winter in NE England.
Repeated throughout the winter, prolonged spells of sub-zero weather can spell disaster for borderline hardy plants. However, the cruellest blow is usually a cold snap in late winter or early spring, especially if following warm weather which encourages new growth.
Frost damage – Fatsia japonica variegata
Like most variegated plants, this Fatsia is nowhere near as hardy as its plain-leaved counterparts. While still very hardy, any leaves with lots of variegation can fall victim to frost damage, and will show brown burns, as the main picture shows.
Echium pininana
The go-to plant I judge winter by in my garden is Echium pininana. Usually surviving spells of frost as low as -5C, plants have in the past managed -7C (when rooted in almost pure gravel). However, excess rainfall in a usually dry corner of the country combined with several spells of hard frost led to the quick deaths of all seedlings in the borders. Even the eldest, self-seeded in pure gravel and due to flower this year, bit the dust last week.
Frost damage – Euphorbia mellifera
This stately euphorbia, grown from seed, suffered a bit of frost damage, but has recovered well and has formed flower buds. It always looks forlorn when caught by frost but does recover well.
Washingtonia palm
Many cheaper websites will tell you the Washingtonia palm is hardy to -6C or even -8C. In my experience, don’t risk it. I’d kept this one in a pot in the conservatory for 3 years. This year, I decided to pack the stem and growing tip with bracken and then cover it with fleece. It was in a sheltered area at the angle of the greenhouse and the warm black wall.
All worked well until the fleece blew off at the end of February. The growing tip was intact then but by this weekend, it had rotted away. The lesson here is to keep your eye on the ball! For more advice on hardy palms in the UK, the RHS has an invaluable guide.
Frost damage – Dwarf water lily
To finish on a high note, one welcome survivor is my dwarf water lily. After being dragged out of the old pond, it spent the first half of the winter in an old trug which froze solid. When the new pond was finished, I hacked back the rootball and was rewarded this week with a few leaves heading for the surface.
It should be much happier in this deeper pond, as the old one was only 15-20cm deep and the leaves were constantly proud of the surface. A tough customer indeed!
Frost damage in early spring cold snaps updated 2025
