This was a difficult winter for some plants. We saw severe wind burn on most of the bamboo. Top kill on others.
Holly and pine were also wind burned. Other plants such as some yews and a witch hazel were completely killed.
Some trees like our Korean Maples and Japanese Zelkova experienced twig damage.
The drying winds coupled with little available moisture, thanks to low precipitation and persistantly frozen soil, brought on desiccation in many types of plants.
What has surprised me is that some of the bamboo species are now re-leafing on old growth. I had counted them all as top-killed. I’m just now finding this is not the case.
The usually cold hardy Phyllostcahys nuda did experience top-kill and is now shooting.
The always resilient Arundinaria gigantea ‘Macon’ of course took winter in stride. It’s producing new buds all the way to the tip on its old growth.
The surprising thing is that although P. nuda top-killed, P. bissetii is one of the species now producing new leaves on old growth after having been completely defoliated following winter foliar desiccation.
Other species such as P. rubromarginata and also most of the P. aureosulcata clones do appear to be top-killed.
The exception to the aureosulcata clones is ‘Harbin-Inversa’, which is in the group producing new buds on old growth.
Two species I had counted as dead above ground are P. parvifolia and P. atrovaginata. Surprise! Both are re-budding on old growth!
You never know what will turn up following winter.