Casualties: Winter of 2010

Since some of my plants tend to push the climatic zone limits, I will always have a few winter casualties.  In terms of lengthy cold spells, the winter of 2010 was one of the more extreme I've experienced in central Texas.  With over 60 hours of continuous temperatures in the teens, many plants got hammered back to the ground and several were not able to make it back in the spring.

Bronze Dyckia

Serious damage:

• Dyckias: Dyckia brevifolia 'Moon Glow' & Red-leafed Dyckia (Dyckia 'Red Devil') certainly received some cold burns (of all the Dyckias, the Dyckia 'Cherry Coke' came out the best - receiving only minor damage)
• Manfreda 'Macho Mocha' (Manfreda x Mangave 'Macho Mocha'): all four plants got severely set back; plants that were over two foot across are now recovering from sprouts
• Soap Aloe (Aloe maculata): All but one of my large specimens got reduced to sprouts; and the one remaining large plant lost almost all its larger lower leaves.
• One Pale Pavonia (Pavonia hastata) got knocked back to roots and is recovering very slowly; another planted just fifteen foot away came through with almost no damage - go figure.

Marilyn's Choice Abutilon

Deceased:

• Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum): though primarily sold as a winter annual in these parts (disappearing with the heat), they couldn't handle our unusually low temperatures this winter and didn't even make it through winter
• Dyckias: Pineapple Dyckia (Dyckia brevifolia), Dyckia platyphylla, two of three Bronze Dyckia (Dyckia fosteriana 'Bronze')

Dyckia platyphylla

• The largest of my three Marilyn's Choice Abutilon
• Salvia van houttei: I will miss its magenta blossoms.
• One of seven Mexican Petunias (Ruellia tweediana 'Colobe Pink'): usually recovers from the roots but the cold got one of them
• Transplanted Variegated Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon jaburan 'Vitattus'); but three that had been in the ground longer survived
• Palm Grass (Setaria palmifolia): my one potted specimen never returned
• Ground Orchid (Spathoglottis plicata): not surprising; a considerable gamble to leave two in the ground (still have my potted one)

Salvia van houttei

 Planted in the Ground:

• Bella Red Abutilon (Abutilon x hybridum 'Bella Red') & pink Bella Mix Abutilon: Two of the Mix & four of the Red; my single Bella Red survived the harsh winter with only a towel thrown in its direction - so hoping these others do as well.