Damage from the twenty-five degree night several weeks ago continues to become evident. No plants were killed or severely damaged, but today there are only scattered blooms on the yellow-leafed deutzia (Deutzia gracillis Chardonnay Pearls, below). A few dead branch tips must be pruned, but a week of splendid white flowers were lost.

I suppose that gardeners agree this is only a minor inconvenience and many would expect casualties in such a late freeze. My concern immediately following the cold night was only for the tender growth of Japanese maples, but all have quickly recovered with hardly a sign of damage remaining. In mid-spring, there are plenty of beautiful distractions so the deutzia’s missing blooms are hardly noticed.

Chardonnay Pearls grows as a compact dome that retains much of its spring foliage color through summer’s heat. A taller, and less compact deutzia in the lower rear garden, ‘Magicien’ (Deutzia x hybrida ‘Magicien’, above and below) is a favorite for flowers that seem to glow. Happily, no damage is apparent on this deutzia that flowers a week later. Unfortunately, ‘Magicien’ is rarely found in garden centers, but it is worth the effort to track down a source. Of course, after flowering, it is a large green shrub but planted in an area of lesser prominence it is a splendid addition to the garden.

Mid-spring flowering Chinese dogwoods (Cornus kousa) and hybrids are a continuing mystery. Some are flowering heavily and some not at all with no obvious reason. Of course, there’s nothing I can do about it except enjoy ones that are flowering.

I have recently staked the uppermost branch of the pendulous ‘Elizabeth Lustgarten’ dogwood (below). The tree was surprisingly large when purchased a year ago, and the staked branch now extends above six feet. The staking is a matter of practicality. Rather than allow the dogwood to sprawl to cover its neighbors, this will encourage taller growth but still with the pendulous form. Eventually, neighboring plants will be moved. Today, I’m pleased with the modest show of blooms and look forward to more a year from now.