Mother Nature’s emissary, winter storm Elliott, swept through the US bringing rapidly plummeting temperatures and snow Dec 22-23rd. Here in Louisville, it went from 55F in the evening, to -5F the next morning. A 60 degree drop. The weather folks called this a flash freeze. Jeez.
In 20+ years I have not seen the garden so open and sparse. Or so brown. The evergreens are not. Lots of old brown fencing now in full view and lots of brown leaves. Our neighborhood landscape is UPS-colored. My garden needs a pickup.
Brown is not the new green
I went through a brown period…a decade of life really…where my clothing, my couch pillows, any time there was a color choice…all of the stuff was brown. I even sought out brown flowers. It was a good time of life.
Aquilegia viridiflora, a brown-flowered favorite
Today’s naked garden throws me back to the beginning. Flash back to photos from the late 90s early 2000s… early in the journey of our tiny urban garden on a hill. Back then, I envisioned garden as cocoon—garden as urban privacy—garden as refuge. More is more. Fill up the space. Now the cocoon is tattered and its contents feel very exposed.
March 2002, garden as a toddler
Different plants different survival tactics
It has been interesting to note what plants do when faced with adversity. Mature Nandina (God bless them) dropped their leaves soon after the freeze…small and insubstantial, they easily shed. Hollies, with their thick plastic-y weapon-like leaves, hung on longer.
Nandina flash-frozen to nakedness
When tested and stressed—flash frozen in this case—most plants drop their leaves. The damaged parts are discarded to protect the core for plant survival. Fingers crossed.
When we are tested and stressed, our coping mechanisms can be similar. “This job is killing me!” Time to move on. “This friend is not acting like a friend.” Don’t return that text. Cancelled.
Pantone color for 2024?
A 20 foot Cryptomeria ordered from Heronswood back in the day as just a wee 4 inch pot, is worrying-brown (Pantone take note), different than its usual winter green-bronze. I talk to it saying we’ll be okay. Who am I trying to convince? It is not saying much right now, keeping it’s thoughts close to the trunk. It is in a holding pattern. Well, that is Winter, isn’t it?
“Worrying-brown” Cryptomeria japonica ‘Sekkan’
Some plants hold on to their leaves. Aucuba japonica is a beautiful deep chocolate brown these days keeping a protective leaf-barrier in place. Why discard the brown blanket (I have several) that can keep you warmer when the freezes happen again? Anyway this is what I theorize.
Aucuba japonica var. longifolia after the flash-freeze
We, too, sometimes keep our perceived hurts close to the vest, and proceed in life within our own fortress of protection. A frosty reply or perceived slight is met with our brown blanket of defense.
I would have thought ground hugging sweet box (Sarcococca hookeriana), would have fared better. Long lived in my garden, it is now shades of coffee with a little cream and holding on to its leaves as if still flash-frozen in place. Cancelled?
Sarcococca hookeriana var humilis (inset showing fresh, not frozen, sweet box).
Brown = Fertility
Looking back at it, I feel like that brown decade corresponded with the height of my gardening energies. The color brown is a root Chakra related color. It is primal. Those days, if I sat on the ground long enough, roots would’ve started to grow from that place of connection.
I can also say I shed a lot of “stuff” during the brown years. Took up yoga for the body. Tried to meditate.
Author doing Lotus Pose; no roots grew that day.
Handling trauma the ACEAE way
Traumatic events affect us differently. Plants deal with weather and physical barrages adaptively over time, and pass coping skills along to their progeny. Having a brain makes things more complicated.
The traumas humans experience happen in real time though are often handled unconsciously…especially when we are young. If only “the handling” of the trauma could happen in real time. We could lose those leaves and cradle in a holding pattern waiting to spring back into the flow when the cocoon gives way. At just the right time.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?
Resilience! Darwin noted that adaptability is key to the survival of any species. I wonder what is ahead for my garden this year. Also I wonder how our fracturing society will adapt to the changing weather that is upon us.
Will we shed what is not needed, or hang on to our brown blanket? Can we cope? Will we bounce back even stronger? Can we thrive?
Coping surviving thriving joy. The joy that has happened here for the last 25 years can be felt, despite the garden’s sad, ragged appearance. That joy feels like strength…strength which will be needed in the years ahead.
April 2022 Joy!
Some plants will leaf out and continue their journey; some will succumb to the adversity. There is always a next phase. For all of us.
Hang on to your leaves or let them drop? In the end, they all drop.
As RoseAnn RoseAnna Danna said, ” And then you die.”. So hang on to your leaves as long as you can. Enjoy what you can. For we are all doomed.
Immortal words Eowana anona dana!
here in the pacific northwest we deal with “Arctic Blasts” from time to time and mostly the broadleaf evergreens that the brunt of it. I remember several years ago we had phormiums, escallonias, and spring Bouquet viburnum that were burned to the ground level. most of them came back but it was a slow painful process. after three years in a row i dug up my viburnums and replaced them with japanese holly. no problems since them. with the severity of the temperature change you had i would be surprised if your nandina recover or the aucuba for that matter. keep us posted and give us an update later in the year. Indeed, nothing lasts forever but change brings opportunities. Good luck.
Steve, thanks for sharing your experience. You seem to know brown well. I first started putting thoughts down about the state of the garden in early Feb. Then I still had hope that my woodies would somehow rebound. A month has passed and the garden is emerging now. The Aucubas and Nandinas look as if they may not have survived. Other evergreen woodies are in a similar state. The new life around them makes their loss more apparent. So it goes. My Cryptomeria friend….well I am still hanging out the hope rope that he can make a recovery. He came from your neck of the woods. Maybe he remembers how to handle the arctic blasts? Thanks again.
I loved your piece, Mary, and hope that the Ranters will take you into their fold so we can hear from you regularly — if you have time to share your wisdom. I’ll pass this on to my gardening friends — we have a great google group called Trumpetvine for members of the Corvallis Evening Garden Club. You’ll have dozens of new readers soon.
Thank you for your comments Kathleen. Welcome to the Corvallis Evening Garden Club!
Thank you for a great post. Hope to hear more from you in the near future.
I found that the plants in full shade did OK.
The plants in sun after/during the next 3 days of freeze were the worst affected.
A full range of responses from looking good and shaking it off completely 2 weeks later, all the way down to crispy critter down to the dirt and not looking promising.
We are typically a nice warm zone 8.
Hoping a dozen of the crispy critters that were supposed to be rated down to hardy in zone 5 will come back.
Good luck with your plants.
Thanks Matt. So you all felt that flash freeze too?! That had to rock a zone 8 garden. Hoping some of your crispy critters give above-ground living another chance.
Thank you!
Yes, very cold for us. Still within zone 8 parameters, but not typical. Weeks in the 50’s with little or no frost before that.
52° to 13° was a bit more than they were looking for. 3 whole days with the highs below freezing was a bit cold for us. (Que the sympathy!)
We were definitely not a northern suburb of Miami this year.
Back in the mid 50’s now and 2 more days of light frost likely.
Could be a beautiful long spring.
Mary – I planted a few Daphne just after Thanksgiving and even with covers they froze just before Christmas. All the flowers – then the leaves. But they are leafing out this week. Hopefully not ready for the next freeze. Keep the faith and thank you for wise words.
Arcadian, thanks for the hopeful thoughts. That is good news. Looking at my Variegated Pieris japonica and Osmanthus and hoping same for these.
Lovely thoughts and so true. Here in Richmond Virginia we had warm days that stayed around and then temp dropped to mid 30’s and 40’s. It appears all is ok. Lenten roses, daffodils looking great. Virginia blue bells are blooming too. My Maple leaves are fully out. Early for this time of year. We’ve had snow in March in the past, fingers crossed that doesn’t happen!
Thanks for your info. What would we do this time of year without our Hellebores and the earliest blue of Mertensia?-}
A wonderful “rant”—I read it twice. So much to think about relating to plants, people, life in general and this time of year. Thank you!
Thank you Cinderlu! Can’t separate the garden from other worldly things though we go there as an escape from such.