Most susceptible to winter
damage have been mimosa (Albizia
julibrissin), southern magnolia
(Magnolia grandiflora), large potted
European fan palms (Chamaerops
humilis) and century plants (Agave
americana). Over the decades I have
had to replace all these at least once.
I have also had to replace some
hardy varieties of Asian persimmons
that have been known to routinely
survive winter temperatures of –15
in China and Korea. I believe that
the problem with these for me has
been that they didn’t get to acclimate
to a real winter before they were
confronted with cold reality, result-
ing in longitudinally split trunks,
delaminated bark and usually death.
But death may be thwarted
occasionally. I have often advised
gardeners not to be too hasty in
cutting down or digging up dead-
looking nursery items. Until I am
absolutely certain that all the life
forces have abandoned them, I con-
tinue to water and fertilize as usual,
hoping to see a fledgling bud emerge
somewhere or a shoot peek out from
the base of a trunk.
(A caution here, however. Many
of the ornamental and fruiting
varieties sold in garden centers are
grafted to specialty rootstock, so
it’s quite possible that a sprout from
the base of a shrub or tree may be
different from the variety whose
qualities you desire. It may even bear
no resemblance to it at all.)
As I shared in the last issue, on an
early June 2023 morning my beloved
Fuyu persimmon still showed not a
single sign of life. Lateral branches
were dry as matchsticks and easily
snapped with a crack. I strained my
poor old eyes looking for a reason
to hope but found none. The only
reason this Fuyu wasn’t chainsawed
at ground level that morning? I had
an opportunity to go sailing.
A week later, ready to cut some
persimmon firewood and kindling, I
was astounded to see tiny green nubs
all over the main trunk to a height of
about five feet. Two weeks later there
were spindly three-inch branches.
By July 10, after I’d filed my last
column, there was a tangle of robust
branches, a third of which had to be
removed. Incredibly, by mid-August
some branches measured four feet
long, and by mid-September I had
a reasonable facsimile of a Fuyu
persimmon tree. Optimist though I
am, my expectations for reviving this
tree were exceeded to a degree even
I never thought possible!
CHIVES ALIVE
While making morning “rounds”
with coffee cup in hand on a late
Above: The beauty and usefulness of common
July day, I realized that I had chives can’t be denied. That’s why Greg went to
taken another one of my perenni- lengths to bring an ailing patch back to health.
ally dependable plants for granted,
missing signs of decreased vigor and
productivity. For 40 years I’ve done nursed these along with some very
nothing in my two-by-one-foot patch diluted liquid fertilizer and after only
of common chives (Allium schoeno- three weeks I was already confident
prasum) but harvest them for bagels, that pungent, fresh chives will be
sour-creamed potatoes, ceviche or available in abundance for flavoring
tuna-salad sandwiches. They have our culinary creations again.
served as an emergency backup for
onions on occasion. So shame on KNOW YOUR CONTENTS
me for not taking any action when While getting ready to plant 2023’s
Abby mentioned that there were no “thriller, filler, spiller” items in
attractive purple flower heads on our large pots to be placed on the front
chives in springtime. And July’s hot, steps, I noticed that the soil in them
dry spells did not encourage a recov- appeared barren and felt hard to
ery in my formerly reliable patch. the touch. Unless you are better
Belatedly I pulled out every ane- than I am at maintaining soil vigor
mic chive plant, teasing the almost throughout the growing season and
embryonic bulbs apart from one over the winter, consider not reusing
another and a few intrusive weeds. last year’s soil in flowerpots or win-
I then dug out all of the worn soil to dow boxes, even if you are gardening
a depth of about five inches, spread on a tenth-story balcony. For the
in a mat of half-rotted rockweed sea- most part, over a growing season
weed (Fucus vesiculosus), backfilled container soil becomes depleted
with rich garden soil and replanted of nutrients and compacted and it
the best-looking tiny bulbs an inch or collects salts, perhaps insecticides
two down and about an inch apart. I and who knows what else.
HORTICULTUR E { HORTMAG .COM } E 11