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Are our Gaillardia and Penstemon dead?

itsjamessmartitsjamessmart Posts: 19
edited April 2023 in Problem solving
My mum planted a Gaillardia and a Penstemon plant in separate pots last spring/summer. They were supposed to be strong enough to survive frosts etc, as we checked the variety on the RHS website before purchasing. Over winter, we covered them both with translucent breathable bags to further help protect from frost and snow. She’s taken them off today and we’re worried they might have died. We don’t know what they would usually look like after winter, as we’ve never grown perennials before. Do they look normal or did we kill them? 

The plants today:


The covers we bought:


The plants when healthy and their information cards:



Any advice or further questions appreciated!

 Thanks
 James

Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    I have to say that they both look dead to me, although there is always the possibility that they might still be alive, particularly the penstemon.
    If you look very closely at the base there just might be signs of green growth. The wider leaved penstemons were considered less hardy then the narrower leaved varieties, and the fact that both plants were in pots could make them more vulnerable. 

    So many plants were lost this Winter, a lot due to the sudden cold spell in early December when many plants hadn't "closed down" properly for Winter.
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    My Gaillardia "Celebration" and Penstmon "Garnet", which is one of the hardier ones, have both died. They were both planted in a sheltered south facing bed. The RHS say that "Phoenix Violet" is hardy in zone H4, which means an average winter. Zone 5 is a cold winter, 6 is a very cold winter. We have just had a colder than usual winter.

    I think they are very likely dead.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • BeeCeeBeeCee Posts: 14
    i grow gaillardia from seed every year.  It is not very reliable as a perennial here.  I had one growing in a pot left outside all winter.  I wasn't really expecting it to come back but I put the pot in my unheated greenhouse probably in January or February and just today I noticed a couple of new shoots.  Be patient, it might come back yet.  
  • PerkiPerki Posts: 2,527
    They look dead but I'd hold on yet on hope some fresh green shoots grow. I lost my Penstemon Garnet as well its hardy down to -10 to-15C according to RHS. The mild weather into December then dropping well below -5C overnight caught a lot of plants out they weren't winter ready in a way. 
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    They don't look good. Where are you? Both hate being waterlogged, which would have been more of a problem as they are potted. It's possible that the roots got very wet,then the temperature plummeted.
  • itsjamessmartitsjamessmart Posts: 19
    Thanks for all your thoughts everyone. I’m in West Yorkshire. Realistically, shall I just dig them out and plant something new?
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    That's what I would do. I see the price on your photo. If they last 4 months that's hardly £1 a week for the pleasure of having them.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 1,134
    I'm with Nanny Beach--my guess is that they have rotted at the base because of the covers over them. However, if you hadn't covered them, in all likelihood they would have frozen to death instead. Some gardeners keep a cold frame with cuttings of plants like this in case of calamity. It's really hard to preserve them in the open ground, so it may be best to treat them like a bunch of flowers...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I agree, it doesn't look promising. My penstemons in the ground (Stapleford Gem, Garnet and Blackbird, or maybe it's Raven) are growing away strongly and the ones that are in pots in a sheltered spot are growing too (Dark Towers and an unnamed supermarket white one that I didn't get around to planting last year).
    I don't grow gallardia but I would think it's much the same.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Shame, because they are both next to a very nice greenhouse!
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