It's sad to see that, but same thing here. We got hit last winter and again this year. I happened to run across some photos I made of our garden three years ago and it almost made me cry. It did in fact make me cuss. I'm practically starting over again. If misery loves company, you have a lot of company.

john

Yes, me too. We just have to hang in there, spring is around the corner. I started taking off the dead leaves, and some plants have new green buds. That made me feel better. At least we didn't have the 2 ft of snow and more they had in the north. :o)

Cheryl, your garden will be beautiful again!!! Great photos BTW.

Hi Cheryl- Gorgeous flowers before and they will be gorgeous again in no time, you'll see.... my flowers are the same except the roses, nothing seems to bother them, they keep chugging along.... I covered my bed of patience plants and they are OK but the coleus is gone...also the magilla, and my papayas took a hit.......... sally

MEEEE TOOOO!
I try not to think about it. Up north everything dies and it comes back twice as beautiful, So there. LOL

Cheryl what is that pink flower bush? I started a cutting of that but I don't know the name.

Hugs, Carmen

Cheryl, your pictures warmed my heart. You have so many unusual and lovely, lovely plants. I know they will be back in full force with your nurturing. BTW, what is the bush with the clusters of yellow flowers? I think it was pic # 20.
I am not familiar with that one. Hang in there, spring is just around the corner!

Anna

Commiseration loves company and I feel your pain. Everywhere I turn, I see another brown stick figure. If anyone needs a bunch of dead palms let me know...

I remember looking at pictures of your garden in the past and being so impressed with its tropical lushness. It is so hard to see brown mush or sticks now. Just know that spring is around the corner and it will be so fun to see each plant come back and sprout new growth. And just maybe you can go shopping for more plants!
Kay

Same here Cheryl. It's hard not to be disheartened. I had waited 15 long years to finally have a garden (some of you may remember the photos last Summer of my fledgling butterfly garden, and the butterflies it immediately attracted, made from my 'scorched earth' front yard) and it lasted all of 6 months!
My biggest heartbreak is my very large 6 trunked Foxtail Palm in the courtyard. It survived the freezing onslaught early last year but after this winter it is brown and crispy! As the extension guy said to me "We can go for years and years without any severe weather and if so you will look like a hero, but if we have one of those rare periods of extreme cold you will look like a fool!" I am looking pretty foolish right now!

There are signs of life around the bases of some of my plants and quite a few volunteers popping up, so all is not lost. Like many others here though, this winter has refined my garden plan to include mostly those brave plants that survived the cold. Anything more tender that I absolutely have to have will be in a container and dragged inside when the temperatures drop! The next garden will be simpler, have more massing of the same plant and I think will look even better! Hope springs eternal!

Good luck to all those whose gardens were decimated by the cold. Here's to a warm, revitalizing Spring for our plants and for us all!

Such beautiful pics before and such sad ones after! I, too, want to know the names of your plants as I've not seen such unusual ones - and where do you get them?
Sis3 - I have over 80 containers and so just what you are planning - they get carted into the garage- takes about 2 hours but so worth it as I sit here and look out at pots of color. A warning, though - my garage isn't heated and in this freeze I saw leaf drop on crotons, desert rose,some succulents and others that I thought were safe in the garage. so next time, (oh dear), I'll keep the lights on and do whatever else to keep it warm.
Some plants will fool you. A large powder puff that gets brown everyyear in a cold wind, not only survived this freeze but looks wonderful! Maybe all the stress in years past made it stronger! Wish that that were true for all of us!
What I really hate seeing are all my varigated and true green pandanus all brown and I don't know how they will return.
And here I am trying to sell my house with one of the strong points has been the gardens. Yikes, what timing.
Everyone stay warm and hope Wed morning isn't as cold as predicted.

Hi Cheryl! I have a few things showing green and I'm sure this rain will help but so much is gone. Including all of my brugs! They may come back from the roots but it doesn't look too hopeful. I'll give it all a few more weeks.
Kate

Thanks for all the kind words.
I do see some signs of of green.
My stemmadenia trees are a total loss though.
Their trunks split.

It did help to jump in the van
and take a day trip over to Vero Beach's Gardenfest Saturday.
And next month is Leu Garden's and Plant Park's sale.
I can't wait!
I'll probably see some of you at the sales.

Anna, the tree is a Chamaefistula antillana.
Love this tree/shrub.
Grows much like a crepe myrtle.
Starts blooming around Thanksgiving
and blooms continously into May.
And for the rest, here a list of the plants pictures.

pudica
Cananga odorata var. fruiticosa -- dwarf ylang ylang
Tabernaemontana holstii
Megaskepasma erythrochlamys ---Brazilian Red Cloak.
Strophanthus preussii "Climbing Oleander"
Whitfieldia elongata
brunfelsia -densifolia
Tabernaemontana divaricata -- pinwheel jasmine
Dombeya
Chamaefistula antillana
Stemmadenia
plumeria - "Singapore"
Hibiscus standards & pinwheel jasmine with 4'clocks
Rangoon creeper - double
Orchid vine all brown! - It was covered in baby pink flowers right before the freeze came.

and one frozen Cuban tree frog.

.........cheryl