I compare the severity of winter cold by the affect on various cold sensitive woody plant species. I have already mentioned this winter's damage on Kaki persimmons (2 severely injured back to the trunk and major branches, 2 killed outright) Bamboo, cold injured to the ground , Mimosa, delayed growth, but not killed. Today, I cut down my dead Crape Myrtle that hadn't suffered much injury in the past 12 years, or so.
These 4 trunks were killed to the soil level. These trees had winter top-killed in the past, but not in the last decade.
I previously mentioned the need to classify the F2 survivors into 3 categories:
1. Stem survival above snow level,
2. Stem survival within snow height.
3. Stem survival within snow height-dwarf.
I now need to add a 4th category: survival from roots below soil level. These are obviously less hardy, and will be observed for unusual or outstanding characteristics.
2018-2019 was the most injurious winter in at least a decade, as these crape myrtles were killed to the ground.
My oldest Poncirus tree and offspring are in the background.