What survived the cold winter

2013/14 was cold, but no snow to speak of. Early Dec it was in the teens for 4 days, twice it got to 10 degrees F here, then early Feb another 4 days in the teens, once to 14 Degrees F. That is verging on zone 7!
Of course I did some 'Zone Pushing' recently, trying plants that might not be hardy. This winter was The Test for these 'iffy' plants. Strange what lived vs what died.

WHAT LIVED:
Alstroemeria 'Yellow Friendship'
Alstroemeria 'The Third Harmonic'
Antirrhinum 'Gummy'
Arctostaphylos x densiflora 'Sentinel'
Armeria maritima 'Nifty Thrifty' half lived, half died.
Brunnera 'Sea Heart'
Caryopteris 'Blue Balloon'
Caryopteris 'Sunshine Blue'
Ceanothus 'Victoria' both ancient trees and new.
Cestrum 'Orange Peel' (In pot-I took it in, but it was out one nite@ 10 degr)
Choisya ternata
Choisya ternata 'Sundance'
Digitalis lutea
Eryngium 'Blue Glitter'
Eucomis comosa 'Tugela Ruby' (yes!)
Genista pilosa
Gentian angustifolia
Grevillea victoriae 'Marshall Olbricht'
Grevillea noelii
Hebe pinguifolia 'Sutherlandii'
Impatiens omeiana
Knautia 'Thunder and Lightning'
Kniphofia 'Mango Popsicle'
Lavendula stoechas 'Otto Quast'
Lavendula -lots of English and French types
Lithodora diffusa 'White Star' (turning into a shrub!)
Mukdenia 'Karasuba'
Penstemon pinifolius 'Mersea Yellow' (1 lived, 1 died)
Perovskia atriplicifolia 'Blue Spire'
Phlomis fruticosa
Potentilla anserina ssp pacifica
Rhododendron arboreum 'Cinnamomeum'
Rosemary officinalis 'Arp'
Ruta graveolens
Scilla peruviana 'Sapphire Blue' but only in most protected spot
Sedum brevifolium 'Pea Green Form'
Senecio greyii
Skimmia japonica dwarf (male and female)
Tiarella trifolium

WHAT DIED:
Agapanthus 'Cold Hardy White'
Agapanthus "Peter Pan'
Agapanthus 'Northern Star'
Amsonia 'Blue Ice' (maybe it will be late....)
Arachnoides simplicior 'Variegata' (Variegated Indian Holly Fern)
Aster 'Woods Purple' (one of eight made it. Dang.)
Atherium felix-femina 'Frizelliae' (Tatting Fern)
Caryopteris 'Dark Knight'
Ceanothus 'Diamond Heights'
Coprosma 'Roy's Red" (what was I thinking...)
Daboecia cantabrica 'Atropurpurea' (Irish Health)
Delospermum congestum
Digitalis trojana
x Digiplexis 'Flame' (I will try again, planted late)
Dryopteris tokyoensis (Tokyo Wood Fern)
Eriophyllum lanatum
Erysimum 'Bowles Mauve"
Imperata cylindrica 'Red Baron' (Japanese Blood Grass)
Kniphofia 'Sunningdale Yellow'
Libertia ixiodes 'Goldfinger'
Lilium columbianum
Melianthus major
Oreganum laevegatum 'Herrenhausen'
Phormium 'Cream Delight'
Salvia 'Carradonna'
Salvia 'Marcus'
Salvia 'Ostfriesland'
Satureja montana 'nana' (Dwarf Winter Savory)
Scabiosa caucasia 'Perfecta Clear Blue'
Scabiosa 'Black Button'
Scabiosa 'Black PomPom'
Teucrium hircanicum
Veronica 'Ulster Blue Dwarf'
Xerophyllum tenax (Beargrass)



How about you-all?

Hey mlm,
I'm very impressed with your record-keeping. Learned something more today.
Our winter was at times quite severe with significant low temps and the two heavy snow storms, yet we got considerably below average precipitation. Don't have those numbers to hand.

I still have very little in the ground that I placed, and what I came into when I got here were (no specifics known)
2 lilac
10 rose bushes
1walnut
Various bulbs
Blackberries, strung up.
All survived.

I left my 6 year old potted avocado tree out one night too long, and subsequently lost all above ground growth. I brought it in, put it in an unfinished room, closed the door so cooler, and then watered it twice during the winter. Then gave up on it.

When I opened that door a couple of days ago there were 4 suckers growing, so hallelujah.

Not really much to report I guess, but your info will sure be interesting. Thanks for posting!

Definitely lost my 6 year old (to me) hebe; not sure about the hydrangea. No signs of life yet.

I'm on the central Oregon coast where it's not supposed to snow and we had two snows that stayed on the ground for days. I only had a chance to plant a couple of herbs last year (still clearing out the blackberries and getting ready to plant), but the sage and golden marjoram came through fine, which surprised me. Even a Vietnamese coriander made it which is weird because they are not cold hardy! Also a small lavender and rosemary made it, as well as a succulent in a pot. You mentioned that your agapanthus died, whereas I've had a surprise one spring up this year and bloom! I think the lowest our temps got were around 20 degrees F. Hmm, I can't think of anything that didn't make it, come to think of it!

I am also impressed by your record keeping, mlm. Mine consists of tossing plant tags in one of two shoeboxes (perennials or shrubs and trees). I did lose several things over the winter, but for some this may be attributed due to planting them too close to my first frost date, not just their hardiness. Others made it through previous winters, but not this past one.

For what it's worth here is my list of plants:

Lived:
Berggarten sage
Caryopteris sunshine blue
Kalmia latifolia
Daboecia cantabrica
Erysimum,' golden glow'
Lavandula silver anouk

Didn't make it:
Agapanthus, white, supposedly cold hardy
Agastache 'Ava'
Laurus nobilis ( I should just quit trying with these)
2 fuschias
Corokia cotoneaster (or else it just hasn't started leafing out yet)
Hebe, purple shamrock


Looks scraggly, but half alive:
Euphorbia, Glacier Blue
Hebe, Pretty in pink
Erica cineria
Rosemary 'gold dust'
Dianthus 'silver star'
3 fuschias (not sure of variety)

I have to say, all my dianthus have made it, despite being in pots , left out in the open. The most startling thing to me here is that even the local gardening goddess, who's been at it for many decades, lost ALL her 10+ yr old rosemaries. I know we're not the Mediterranean coast, but they do flourish here.

Mlm and mhf, I'm bookmarking your lists for reference, as I gradually start planting in the ground.

Cracks me up [ ; ( ] that each of you lost a "cold hardy" agapanthus......I have been eye-balling the cold hardy gardenias. At the nursery (Molbak's) they're awesome.

I have been eying the gardenias for years, but haven't succumbed yet to the temptation. I guess they just look so tropical it seems unlikely they could make it here.

List update of late deaths:
Grevillea 'Marshall Olbricht' I think I fertilized with phosphate too near while it was recovering...
Potentilla anserina ssp pacifica oh no now it is looking invasive...

List update of things that came back eventually:
Amsonia Blue ice, look fine but did not really bloom
Tatting fern
2/6 Tokyo wood ferns
Kniphofia Pineapple popsicle
Scabiosa Perfecta Clear Blue (blooming now for months already)
Beargrass!

I am going to try again with Agapanthus next year. A local nurseryman had a thought that might be true-I had planted them late, in July or maybe August, in a new garden with purchased 'soil'. I then fertilized when they were not growing at all after several weeks. He thought I may have induced 'soft' growth, and they were not 'hard' enough to tolerate our tough winter. I hope this is the real answer.

BTW, I have TONS of blue agapanthus in front of my house. Maybe I was just lucky, but once they got established, they really took off. For me, a perfect July 4th is when the agapanthus and red crocosmia are in sync. Very festive!
My friend in Lake Stevens always tells me her bloom times are behind mine, but as far as hardiness goes, I don't think there is much difference. So many variables......It's so long now, I don't even remember when I planted my agapanthus. I'm guessing it was whenever they showed up at the nursery!

I will try again with Agapanthus next year. I LOVE blue flowers.