From the Freeze, Into the Fog

With seven straight days experiencing lows solidly in the low 20s (-5 to -6 C), this past week marked the coldest weather we've seen in two years.  The good news is I don't think anything important died.  Of course it is important to remember plants are precariously capable of playing dead when they are alive as well as playing alive when they are really dead.

This Tasmanian tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica) looks like it will survive just fine even though the newer fronds were killed by the frost.  The all-important superterranean rhizomatous trunk was well-protected.

Dicksonia antarctica

This Abutilon 'Tiger Eye' has a small amount leaf burn but is looking incredible given the fact that it's January.

Abutilon 'Tiger Eye'

I wish I would have taken a picture of this Arum italicum when it was 21 degrees outside.  The leaves were shriveled and lying so flat they looked as if they were painted on the ground.  I was sure I wouldn't be seeing this plant again until the spring.  But now that the frost has passed, the leaves have sprung back to life!

Arum italicum 'White Winter'

How many Echium fastuosums are in this picture?  There are - or at least were - two.  One is alive, the other is probably dead.  I put a canvas blanket over the echium on the right (not for the echium's sake, but for the sake of the agaves & palms next to it).  It's probably for the best - the dead one was going to take over the pathway anyway.

Echium fastuosum

Of the three species of hardy scheffleras that went through this week of frost (S. Taiwaniana, S. delavayi & S. brevipedunculata), none of them suffered even the slightest bit of damage.

Schefflera brevipedunculata

This pink jasmine vine (Jasminum polyanthum) shows absolutely no damage.  It was protected by an overhang but was also in a pot so I think those cancel each other out.

Jasminum polyanthum

Can't winter in Seattle be beautiful, in an ugly sort of way?

Tetrapanax papyrifer

Now look alive!

As the garden settles into winter mode there are a few plants that are determined to defy the impending hostility brought forth by old man winter, showing no signs of slowing down.  In fact, the plants in this post look more alive now than they did a month ago.

Case in point, the growing season for this plant is the winter.  It goes dormant during the heat of the summer.  I hardly believed that when I bought it, but now that I've seen it, it's true.  It's called Arum italicum 'White Winter' and supposedly makes a great companion plant to hostas since their growth/dormant periods are reversed.

Arum italicum 'White Winter'

New growth like this is typically only seen in the spring...not on November 25th:

Arum italicum 'White Winter'

It's also hardy to Zone 5 (-20F/-29C) so just about anyone can enjoy it.

One genus that has a 99.99% fail rate in Seattle are aloes.  I've tried several "hardy" aloes, giving them perfectly draining soil in a nice sunny spot, only to find a gooey mess after an arctic outbreak.  I bought this aloe, labeled Aloe 'Johnson's Hybrid' last spring and was very happy to see it essentially quadruple in size over the summer.  This will be its first winter in the ground and so far so good - it's even starting to bloom!

Aloe 'Johnson's Hybrid'

Luckily the aloe is far from the only plant in bloom right now.  This next one actually starts blooming in mid-fall and carries through to at least Christmas.  It is sometimes confusingly referred to as Kaffir lily, but its botanical name is Hesperantha coccinea.  In the background is the venerable Schefflera taiwaniana.  Two outstanding plants...there's a reason they're right by the front door!

Hesperantha coccinea

This Camellia sasanqua 'Apple Blossom' is really starting to grow into a nice espalier and conveys a subtropical look quite well even though it was only a few degrees above freezing when this picture was taken.

Camellia sasanqua 'Apple Blossom'

I believe there's a lifetime supply of bird food on this Pyracantha coccinea (firethorn).

Pyracantha coccinea

And finally...the least hardy of the lot (except perhaps the aloe) but well worth the attempt in Seattle: Dichroa febrifuga.  It's an evergreen hydrangea relative with lavender flowers followed by metallic purple or blue berries.  I'm guessing I need to add some aluminum sulfate to the soil here to acidify it and turn the berries blue as I would for a hydrangea flower.  It's on the to do list for next year...

Dichroa febrifuga