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Would these plants come back again?

Simone_in_WiltshireSimone_in_Wiltshire Posts: 1,073
in Problem solving
Like for all of us in the UK, the recent cold temperatures have done a lot of harm to our plants.
It's the first time that I have grown those plants and I wonder if the will grow back again or do I have to start from scratch again? Just before the freeze hit, I have bought 5 foxglove and digitalis that have survived in the greenhouse so far. I could swap them, but if they come back, then I would leave them.

I would be grateful if the one or other experienced garden shares his or her experience with me.

All plants made it through the first 4 frosty nights and days, but the night 2 days ago, from Friday to Saturday had a devastating impact. All the ferns have frost damage and leaves are broken due to the wind.

I'm sorry for the picture quality, they are taken with the iPhone.

I have 3 verbascums and this one is one of those. The other ones lost all leaves.
As you can see, I had cut the flower stem down in Autumn. I hope this was correct.
Do I have take off all the leaves and it will new leaves grow and a flower stem?



This is a digitalis Raspberry, evergreen perenial.



One of my other types of digitalis (foxglove).



Many thanks in advance.


I ♥ my garden.

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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    No need to worry. They’re pretty hardy and should all survive and put up flower stems in late spring/ early summer. 

    However verbascums and digitalis/ foxgloves are not long lived plants ... most are biennials or short-lived perennials, so it’s best to allow them to scatter their seeds around them after they’ve flowered ... then the following spring and summer you’ll see hosts of little seedlings appearing and soon they’ll be ready for you thin out, planting the thinnings elsewhere or potting them up and growing them on to plant out the following year when they’ll flower. 
    😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Simone_in_WiltshireSimone_in_Wiltshire Posts: 1,073
    edited February 2021
    Many thanks, Dovefromabove. :thumbsup
    Do I cut them down to the bottom in March or do I leave then as they are?
    I just checked the digitalis Raspberry and Gaura plants in the garden and the leaves are dry like dead.
    What the foxglove concerns, I also thought they are biennials, but there is written perennial on the label and I thought, they might be the exception. :)
    I have already new soil in the flat and will seed new foxgloves     this morning which promise to flower the same year, so the package.
    Thanks god, the fatsja japonica has survived from what I see.


    I ♥ my garden.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited February 2021
    Leave them as they are ... cutting them back further risks removing the growing point.  As they start into growth this coming growing season they’ll produce some new leaves in the base rosette and then you can gently remove any of the older individual  ones that have been too disfigured by age and the winter weather. 

    Very often hardy plants can look awful in this very cold weather but leave them be and they’ll recover ... even our purple sprouting broccoli worried my OH yesterday ... he thought it looked dead. I’ve told him it’ll be fine and he can look forward to eating it in the spring 🍽 😋 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 1,134
    I suspect that your photos were taken while the plants were still frozen... fear not, as soon as it thaws many of their leaves will return to looking more normal. Cutting them off will kill your plants for sure. They will look a bit battered after the hammering by the frost, with some brown marks and dead leaves, but should perk up and flower later with few casualties.
  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 1,134
    I forgot to add: with some evergreen hardy ferns, you can cut the old foliage away in late winter before the new leaves develop, but it depends on the species... if you post a photo we can advise...
  • Simone_in_WiltshireSimone_in_Wiltshire Posts: 1,073
    Yes, I took the images yesterday when we still had frost. Today, it's 2 degrees Celsius.

    This is the tree fern but it's an English grown, not from Tasmania


    This was a Bergonia. I suppose it hasn't survived.




    The Fatsia is still alive, but some leaves are frost damaged


    I bought this last year. I suppose I can cut down the leaves. I did already cut some of them because they were broken.



    This one looks actually still okay.



    I ♥ my garden.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited February 2021
    Don’t know about the tree fern .. I think they usually need frost protection. The rest look fine to me. 

    That ‘begonia’ is actually a bergenia (confusing eh? 🙄) and, unlike begonias, it is as tough as old boots and will be fine 😊 

    https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/2209/i-Bergenia-cordifolia-i/Details

    As @Cambridgerose12 says, the old fern leaves can be removed in the spring, being careful not to cut the newly emerging ‘croziers’ of the new leaves. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    With regard to the Gaura, just leave it be for the time being, dead bits and all. In a few weeks time, with luck you will see new buds appearing towards the base, and as soon as there is no danger of frost, cut the dead bits off. Mine all look dreadful at the moment but they are tougher than you think, l find.  :)
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I'd agree - those plants can all survive long periods of poor conditions, the tree fern is the only exception. They generally need protection in most parts of the UK in any winter. 
    Just leave the foliage on all the plants, and wait until warmer temps are in place to cut off any dead material. They'll grow plenty of new stuff later.

    Your Fatsia looks a lot better than mine does, but I know mine will survive. They can manage surprisingly long spells of snow, ice and low temps  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ERICS MUMERICS MUM Posts: 627
    As a rule of thumb I would advise not to cut back any perennials (such as all those you show) at this time of year.  Last year’s leaves look unsightly at the moment but they are giving some protection to the underground living plant - the crown.  It’s the crown that will produce new growth in spring.

    around the end of March I have a gentle peek under the old leaves for new growth but I don’t pull off the old, protective leaves for another few weeks.
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