Even for a garden caught at the edge of competing weather systems, the reversal from summer to winter over the past ten days has been spectacular. Hot sun and shirt-sleeves a week ago; driving snow and thick gloves on Tuesday. Follow that with seven degrees of frost on Wednesday night – and the devastation is complete:
Apart from the inevitable frustration that goes with seeing the spring colour wiped out overnight, it’s interesting to see what is robust enough to withstand the extremes of climate. Alpine plants, on the whole, rapidly bounce back, while many herbaceous plants such as delphiniums and peonies pull themselves together again with a resigned shrug. It’s mostly the rhododendron tribe that suffers – presumably because once the frost has gone from the lower slopes of their mountainous native habitats, they don’t expect to see it back. Which is why they flourish on the frost-free west coast of Scotland, but struggle here.
Some plants just get on with life. Primula rosea (again), enjoys the flood that follows the snow melt:
And the tougher shrubs are unaffected. The catkins on salix hastata wehrhahnii always look good at this time of year.
You often find this sold as a ‘dwarf’ willow – but it’s more a medium-sized shrub, quite capable of growing to five or six feet if you let it. It’s an extremely useful space filler, very attractive in its bowed growth habit, and with pretty, fluffly young foliage. Cuttings taken in autumn root like weeds, so you never need purchase more than one plant. The only thing to watch out for is an infestation of willow beetle – plants can be stripped of their leaves very rapidly.
Update on Veronica wormskjoldii: In this post, I queried whether I had the correct name for this summer-flowing creeping plant. The nursery that sold it to me now agrees that whatever it is, it is not wormskjoldii. Wrongly-named plants which are passed from grower to grower and sold on to gardeners are a real irritant (I constantly see wrongly-named primulas for sale). Few nurseries appear to have the time or inclination to verify the names of their stock. Short term, it may not matter, but in the long term it leads to confusion. I’ll try to get the Edinburgh botanics to identify the veronica and report back. Meanwhile, I see Google has put my photograph into its image bank…..does anyone know how I can get it removed?
Gardening At The Edge 
So sorry to see your wilted flowers. It’s been a roller coaster few gardening weeks in Scotland, hasn’t it? Snow is all gone here today. I was watching frosted tulips anxiously yesterday to see if they revived, and they have. As you say, it’s so disappointing to see spring colour just wiped out before we’ve had a chance to enjoy it.
Hello Linda, and thanks for visiting. Still on the roller coaster what with yesterday’s snow and today’s warmth. You are brave to plant your broad beans!
So disheartening when this happens, poor plants struggle to cope with the weather, some will come back, but some are over for the year.
Sorry, can’t help with your problem with Google, that must be so annoying!
Hi Pauline, At least it means that every year is different! Sometimes one things gets frosted – next year it’s another.
What a bummer! Has’nt been too bad here in north-west Ireland. Light night frosts which did’nt even damage the Plum blossoms.
Hello Bridget,
Surprisingly, my plum blossom seems to have escaped too. I think it wasn’t quite far enough out.
That Primula rosea blooming in the midst of that wonderful creek is quite a picture. Sad about the frozen flowers.
I use ammonia to remove things from Google.
I tried ammonia. It didn’t work. Do you have other ideas?
No. Well scissors, but that can be dangerous.
Sorry to hear about the snow. No snow here in Wales but hard frosts, worse than anything we had all winter which is so frustrating. Most plants seem fine but it has certainly knocked everything back a bit after that warm spell.
I hope you haven’t lost too much young growth?
That Salix is gorgeous! Fluffy catkins are great.
I’m sorry to see it all wiped out – it’ll be back to looking gorgeous before you know it.
Hi Libby -I’m well used to the spring wipe-out. The frost I really dread is the one that regularly happens on 5th May. After that, I’m usually safe.
I love that salix too! I am very sad for your garden and for that beautiful rhododendron though!
Hello Alberto, Most of the garden will bounce back quickly enough, so I’m not too bothered. The Scottish climate rapidly enforces the lesson that growing things at the edge of hardiness really is not a good idea. I so look forward to global warming…..but it does not seem to be happening in any hurry.