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Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

May 19, 2018 By Laura 3 Comments

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This post and photos may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. If you purchase something through any link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Any supplies used may be given to me free of charge, however, all projects and opinions are my own.


Is your Lithodora brown right now? After the rough Winter weather, it’s possible your evergreen Lithodora looks dead. Do NOT do a thing. It will come back! Mine did!

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

I wrote two articles years ago extolling the seemingly never-ending virtues of Lithodora.

It’s an evergreen perennial and has the most intense blue flowers every Spring.

Click on the links below to get my complete information on planting and care:

Lithodora: Evergreen and Electric Blue Radiance

Blue Perennial Flowers? Try Lithodora! (an update)

We redid our entire landscape over — from when those articles were written —  and last year I added Lithodora into our (newer) garden beds.

During the Summer months, there are sporadic blue flowers, but Lithodora mainly serves as an easy-care small evergreen background plant to the Summer flower show going on.

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

During the Winter, we had lots of snow, but our Lithodora kept its vibrant green color.

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

Then we had several early Spring snowstorms with heavy, wet snow that froze so many plants.

And our Lithodora looked dead.

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

But I remembered my own advice — from my original articles about Lithodora:

Don’t rip it out because Lithodora is a much tougher plant than it appears to be.

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

Look closely at the images above and below, and you’ll see bits of green among all of the brittle, dried brown stems.

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

Yes, the stems even “feel” like they’re dead, but trust me: the roots are still good and this plant will sprout green right on the seemingly dead stems!

The new growth comes onto the plants all over — not just from the bottom, and not just at the tips — so don’t touch the plant or remove any of the dead-looking stems!

I was encouraged when I saw this new growth and just let the plants be.

And just a month later?

Blooming Lithodora!

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

I was so happy that I took my own advice and didn’t give up and rip the plants out.

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

You can see how the new green growth covers the old stems, and some new stems form too!

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

Lithodora brown to green…and blue!

Here’s some before-and-after pictures for you to see.

Early April:

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

Mid May:

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

Oh no, the Lithodora looks like it’s dead:

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

Not so fast! Lithodora is tougher than it looks!

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

(The white flowers in front are Candytuft — and you can read my article about them here.)

So.

Is your Lithodora brown after Winter?

It’s not dead.

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

There is hope!

Is Your Lithodora Brown After Winter? There Is Hope!

For complete care and further reading about Lithodora, read my additional posts:

Lithodora: Evergreen and Electric Blue Radiance

Want Blue Perennial Flowers? Try Lithodora! (an update)

Happy gardening!

More from my site

  • Lithodora: Evergreen and Electric Blue RadianceLithodora: Evergreen and Electric Blue Radiance
  • How to prune Variegated Lilyturf (Liriope Muscari)How to prune Variegated Lilyturf (Liriope Muscari)
  • How to prune Pinky Winky Hydrangeas the easy way!How to prune Pinky Winky Hydrangeas the easy way!
  • Dappled Willow: an update three years later!Dappled Willow: an update three years later!
  • Candytuft: An Easy Year-Round Garden BeautyCandytuft: An Easy Year-Round Garden Beauty
  • Bog Rosemary Facts You Need to Know (Andromeda Polifolia)Bog Rosemary Facts You Need to Know (Andromeda Polifolia)
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Comments

  1. Dusty says

    September 23, 2018 at 8:27 am

    Thanks for the update. Your care in posting and writing about this, after 5 to 6 years of caring for the plant is not only sweet but it is endearing. You are persevering and as determined as the lithodora.

    Are yours “Crystal Blue” lithodora?

    Also have you ever tried giving them a shave after the flowers fall or fade away? I was wondering if this might cause them to spread faster?

    Reply
  2. Teresa says

    September 25, 2020 at 10:09 pm

    Thank you! Initially I had a planted a Lithodora and it did so well and spread rapidly (July) but then all of a sudden it slowly started turning brown (Sept) and I thought about pulling it up but I will be happy to leave it now in anticipation of seeing it revived later! Thank you again!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      October 5, 2020 at 4:58 pm

      You’re welcome Teresa! I hear you about the plants sometimes turning brown — it has driven me nuts when it happens too! But yes, these do come back and are surprisingly tough, although they don’t seem to be when all we can see is brown leaves and stems. Hang in there!

      Reply

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Pet Scribbles is where I share my craft tutorials, home and garden projects, and occasional stories about my cats. I can never have enough pretty craft paints to work with, and I love to make things look time-worn with distressing and aging. Gardening is my therapy!

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