Many Reno gardeners are talking this spring about various plants, usually hardy for our cold seasons, having been frost bitten this past winter. This Photinia is an example. There's even a phrase used to describe this condition: Photinia Leaf Spot. It's not a disease, but rather a reaction to extremely cold, windy weather.

Last autumn, this beautiful, healthy shrub was its usual deep green, but unlike past years, last winter, during the series of cold snaps we endured, the leaves turned from green to a bright red, then to a brittle gold rust with spots of a drier brown.

As you can see, this plant has new buds, so its survival isn't in question. But if you find that the tips of your Photinia have died, you might need to cut the plant back. This plant is still green towards its base. We'll watch it this spring and decide exactly what to do about pruning.

Gardeners have also mentioned other plants getting burned by the deep freeze, like Rosemary and even Mormon Tea. Rosemary is always somewhat iffy here in the high desert. It's not unusual for Rosemary to die completely even during a normal winter. This is especially true for Rosemary in containers. This past winter we brought a potted Rosemary into the house. It was a good move. Not only did we have fresh Rosemary all winter for cooking, but we didn't have to go outside to pick it. Now the plant is healthy and ready without any winter set back for another year of growth.