Winter damage on boxwood. Photo: Mary H. Meyer, UMN Extension You can see the damage in many Minnesota landscapes--broadleaf evergreens like boxwood, rhododendrons, vinca and pachysandra covered with brown leaves, particularly on the tops of these plants. So what happened? Damage report The 2018-19 winter took a toll on these plants. When it was cold in December and January, before snow covered these plants, their leaves were frozen and killed. This was not so much normal desiccation or drying out, as it was outright death by extreme low temperatures when the plants had snow cover. The damage is just showing up now. Record snow came later after leaves were exposed and open to killing temperatures. I planted this boxwood knot (see above image) on the north side of my home in 2004, 15 years ago. This year it shows the most winter injury ever, because normally it is covered with snow and protected from extreme temperatures. Hardy broadleaf evergreens Due to our rigorous winte