Hola fellow gardeners. I have just returned from a three week trip to Costa Rica where I labored day after day exploring local nurseries and gardens with an occasional trip to the white sand beaches and local restaurants. Or was it day after day to the beaches and restaurants and an occasional trip to a nursery? Ah, what’s the difference? What’s important is that I spent three weeks somewhere other than here where it was still the dead of winter with cold, foggy days and even colder nights. I am thinking I might have to do this again next year, just to keep myself current with tropical foliage trends of course.

But alas, all good things must come to an end and that is why I am once again regaling you with sage gardening advice for yet another gardening season. After last year we are all hoping and praying for a more normal weather pattern with a mild spring, warm summer and extended fall. I don’t think it is too much to ask for. Surely you would agree.

So I think that just before I left for my trip I had told you to be patient and don’t panic. Whatever was dead was only going to get deader and there was really nothing we could do to change that fact. After being gone a month now I can honestly say that things are indeed getting deader in my yard. It’s not a pretty sight. Most of the sever damage seems to be on my broadleaf evergreen shrubs although I have some perennials that are looking very iffy as well. The question remains, how long do we have to look at this scene of death and destruction and what can we clean up now and what should we still wait on? Here, for what it is worth, is my opinion.

Woody plants like Ceanothus, Nandina, Viburnum, Arbutus, Escallonia, Cotoneaster, Cistus and Pyracantha should be left alone at this point. These are all broadleaf evergreen shrubs that in most winters fair just fine but in the occasional winter when we get a doosie like we did, will show signs of stress. Brown or black leaves are the most common symptom we are seeing. Sometimes even the twigs will turn black and on softer wood will become limp and drooping. Hopefully, if you look farther into the center of these plants you will see greener and healthier looking foliage. If not, then your damage may be more severe and possibly even fatal. But don’t panic just yet.

These woody plants have an amazing propensity to recover from these kinds of freezing events. They will abandon the frozen tips of their foliage and regroup farther down their stems and into the older wood where as the weather warms and the days lengthen they will reawaken dormant buds and put forth new shoots. At that point, usually late March or early April, you will be able to discern what needs to be pruned out and removed. If by June you are still not seeing any signs of new growth then it is time to get out the shovel and bid farewell to your plant. It’s probably not going to recover and leaving it until the next season is just a waste of time. Get it out of the garden and plant something new while there is still time to establish a healthy root system.

As for perennials, it is time to clean them up and get them ready for spring. Most of them can be cut all the way to the ground at this point. You might even be able to see new shoots at the base or crown of these plants, ready to grow just as soon as things warm up a bit more. I like to leave a little ‘handle’ on mums and dahlias and asters or any other perennial that has a woody stem until I am sure the new shoots are up and growing. Then the ‘handle’ can be completely eliminated. Ornamental grasses like the Maiden grasses that go dormant should be cut to the ground now and grasses that are evergreen like pampas grass and blue oat grass should be cut at least half way back too. These will all put out new growth in the next 4-6 weeks and look fabulous in the next 8-12 weeks which is really just April or May, not too far off at all.

So, you can get going on the perennials but hold off on the shrubs until early next month. In the mean time look for spots in your garden where you need to fill in with some late winter interest. Witch hazels are now in full bloom, cornelian cherries will be soon to follow and Sarcococca is smelling up the entire nursery. Hellebores are showing color, epimediums will be coming on soon and primroses and in high gear. Like I say every year, there is no excuse for a boring yard so get out and get to work.

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville. He can be reached at 425-334-2002 or online at info@sunnysidenursery.net