Although rain has become more frequent over the last month, central Alabama is still in the midst of an extreme drought (check out current conditions across the state here).   

Many gardeners are wondering about evergreens that are turning or have turned brown- things like arborvitae, magnolias and hollies. Here's what Jim Jacobi of the Jefferson County Extension Service has to say about this:

"In many cases I think the plants are dead, especially the evergreens like arborvitae. I've visited several landscapes in the last few months and examined several hollies and magnolias. I'm not finding much green wood on plants where all leaves are brown- the roots were probably also killed. I'm telling folks to be patient and wait till spring to see what happens [then] prune or remove plants as needed."

Jimmy Collier describes this drought as "historic," pointing out that we went without rain from early August to late November- a third of the year! He adds that while established plants nearly always make it through "normal" droughts, "any plant- other than a cactus- would've had a good chance of dying in this weather."

Evergreens were especially hard-hit because they couldn't shed leaves like deciduous plants can in order to cope with the lack of water. Jimmy agrees with Jim Jacobi that "conifers that are brown are more than likely gone for good."

However, he goes on to say there is hope for other plants that "have dormant buds down the stems that will re-sprout and 'start over' when the conditions are right- the conifers don't have dormant buds. They could come back from the roots but that is their only chance."

So, how do you find out if your plant is dead? Jimmy suggests "cutting at the tip of a branch...if it's brittle that part is dead, so keep working down that branch until the inside wood is white or green and not brittle." Then, wait and see if the plant puts out leaves this spring- you should begin to see signs of new growth by mid-April.  Fertilizing trees and shrubs with Hi-Yield Grower's Special in early April (not any sooner) will encourage growth.