I planted roses this summer. They are about 2-3 feet tall. Do you think this cold snap has killed them? What other plants are in danger with this cold? I know its a broad question. What about grapes? or rhodos? or salvias or hydrageas or hostas? Thank you. from Vancouver, BC
I only have a small garden at home but I have been using the snow to pile above or on my plants to give them a bit of a buffer from the cold. :)
How cold is it? Down here it hasn't been into single digits F. most places in the metropolitan area. A killer winter is when that happens. There have been reports of single digit temps. from Bellingham, seems like Vancouver is usually warmer but maybe you have been getting in on some of that. Based on what I saw here in 1990 more tender roses like various hybrid teas tend to die back if it gets below about 10F. Some references give 15F for certain kinds. Most other types will be hardier, sometimes very much hardier - the Canadian Explorer series for instance, and wild rose species native to cold climates. Grapes: Usually very hardy, best vineyards are in the interior. Rhododendrons: Depends on the variety, same as roses, with a range extending from tropical to subarctic. Salvias: Many kinds grown in gardens are tender, basically annuals or "temperennials" (Heronswood) in cold climates; others are hardy perennials or subshrubs. Hydrangeas: Usually hardy, some kinds very hardy. Hostas: Very hardy favorites of gardeners in climates with bitter winters. Later: last night's/this morning's temperatures were close to all time record lows in many locations from Snohomish County northward. The influence of Arctic air south of there has been somewhat less. For Seattle itself to get a landmark freeze, this was a VERY near miss. Some of the scarier lows this morning include Bremerton 12F Eevrett 10F Friday Harbor 8F Oak Harbor 8F Arlington -6F Maple Falls -7F (ice box anyway) Naniamo, BC -2F http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/nwest/msg1200553715054.html?16
My handful (maybe 30) of plants is mostly 4" and #1 potted stuff as my condo had a lot of reno's over the last year and I havent planted my stuff yet. I have been watching the temps and we had -14C for a couple nights ago, the snow at the moment is nice and fluffy as its cold rather than the usual mush we get which is heavy and tends to break stuff. I havent bothered to put snow on stuff in a number of years, most times we dont get cold enough to get too worried.
roughly but if you read the post I quoted it is not correct by any measure, I assume it was a typo. Just to make sure we are talking apples to apples.
It all depends on your varieties. Some roses are very hardy. I planted a Morden Sunrise Rose last summer, which is supposed to be very hardy and I am hoping it will survive our very cold weather. It is supposed to go down to - 30 C. again tonight. Right now it is buried in snow, so hopefully that will help protect it. Hostas are very hardy. They may die back below the ground, which they do here, but they always come back in the spring. I imagine your Rhodos and Hydrangeas will be fine. When I lived in Burnaby the temps often went down to -16 in the winter and they all seemed to survive.
-15 C a few days ago was one of Vancouver's coldest night recorded. A few of our climbers, old garden roses and shrub roses are hardy enough that I don,t have to worry too much about. My containerised plants are snugly tucked away either in our cold green house (heated with strings of christmas decoration lights!) or buried under the big cedar in our backyard. But after a cold spell like this, there are going to be the invitable casualties. That's in spite of the fact that I do give the roses and other more tender plants some winter protection by mulching
-20 C seems to be the critical point for most roses depending on a number of conditions and the variety of the plant. If they are exposed to direct wind this can dry out the soil over time but this might not be a problem in most gardens in Vancouver that are surrounded by other houses. Cold temperatures can cause damage to the canes of hybrid teas were a lot of their energy is stored for the next seasons growth is stored. Grafted rose don't seem to do as well as own root roses if the basil where the graft is is exposed to the cold for long periods of time. I have a hedge of Gallica roses at the back of my yard which is a very hardy type of rose rated at zone 4-8. It is exposed to the winter winds and freezing cold and does quite well without any added protection.
Minus 15 should not be a problem. We get that here in Penticton almost every winter and I see all kinds of varieties growing all over the town. This year we reached -25 and -26 several times and I am keeping my fingers crossed. Since I have gotten rid of all my hybrid tees, which were succumbing to old age and replaced them with carpet roses, hardiness 5, it should be okay. We will know for sure in a couple of weeks. Grapes are quite hardy, but I understand that if an early frost hits before the sap has fully retreated, it could harm them. We had here in the Okanagan some severe frost in November 2007 and some growers were concerned, but there does not seem to have been any damage worth mentioning in the local media.
