I checked my in ground fig trees for frost Damage,and ,here are the results for the plants I did not Winter protect this year.
NO DAMAGE:
Gino's
Marseilles black vs
Malta black
Dalmatie
Atreano
Tacoma Violet
Adriatic  JH
Hardy Chicago
Vasilika Sika
Improved Celeste
Sal Gene strain

Frost Damage on:
Violette de Bordeaux

I have other rare varieties ,some are younger too, and these were winter protected so I did not  uncovered to check,but will see on March First,2014.
So far Violette de Bordeaux is only marginally hardy .

We had some -3 plus windchill here last week, about to go to possibly -11 (f) tomorrow night and the MB VS uncovered in ground second year tree (chewed up by the dog) still looks fine.  It`s a little more sheltered than the rest that are covered but tomorrow night may put it down.

VdB was slightly damaged on the tips after being out in the 20 degree weather for few days. all the other trees do not show damage. i think VdB is not very cold tolerant. it's 5 yr old tree and i expected it to handle 20 degree weather. 

Herman
How are you checking for frost damage?  I thought if the cambian layer is damaged you may not notice until growing time.

is 4 with wind chills into the -teens.  I would be worried about unprotected trees.

you can tell the obvious part where they are dead. usually they look like they are shriveled up. bone dry. cut about an 1" below that point. what was that 4 D? Diseased, Damaged, Dead, and Design. 

I didn't protect many of my trees this winter, we hit -4F Friday, tonight it may get even colder with the windchill. I think it will be difficult to tell now all the cold damage. 

I have not found a good way to stop her other than put up fencing around them.  She chews rose canes too (always the weak canes though) so I just keep trying to teach her not to chew them, she is getting better but after 3-4 weeks of nothing she pops up and chews another branch.  The oldest tree I leave alone she hasn't touched it yet and the male pees on it frequently so maybe the ones she chews are her territory?

If wood is dead the said branch snaps ,and breaks when bent.
Also the wood looks dry and dead.
The growing buds on a dead branch are totally dry and not green when cut open but whitish and dry.
It is easy to see the difference ,between dead and alive buds.

It was -2*F 34 degrees below freezing when I got up this morning. Thankfully the fig trees are slumbering soundly in the garage.

The problem is they don't mind chilis or vinegar and garlic really upsets one of their stomachs and we eat a lot of all three so they think it is food for them to eat.

Just checked temp outside,-8 degrees with wind chill of -37 degrees!!!
I ask myself why did I decided to leave 4 trees outside unprotected!!!!!
Only time will tell come spring..
Very nice of you Daniel you maybe getting some PMs.. 

Seriously, Herman, you gotta move to paradise. ;-))

Thanks for this information, Herman. I was hoping you would communicate your experience about the effect of uniquely cold weather we have had on cold hardy figs. I use your information as a guide of what I should do, since we have similar climates. I also noticed my 6 year old Sal's GS apparently escaped this cold snap unscathed without protection. It certainly is a tough variety.

Wind chill relates only to human skin.  It doesn't have any meaning for other animals or plants.

Thanks for all of the information presented here.  Herman, I'll be interested to hear how things check out in the spring.  Please keep us posted!

This has been the coldest snap here (south central PA) in quite a few years.  My thermometer, when I went to check it this morning, registered -3 in my orchard.  I'm guessing it got to maybe around -5 last night.

Bob, I do think wind chill counts to a degree when temperatures get this cold.  I'm thinking it matters in terms of desiccation of plant tissues that eventually leads to their death.  Zero degrees with very little to no wind, in my mind, is a good bit less damaging than zero degrees with a strong wind.  I think this is why fig trees in the north are often wrapped.  It's not that wrapping keeps the fig trees significantly "warmer" (for that to be the case, fig trees would need to be capable of producing heat like a human), but rather that it keeps the plant tissues from drying out in the cold.

That's my current theory, anyway.  To practice this theory I've simply mulched my trees very heavily this year (6-12").  I'm thinking/hoping that the "buried" portion of the tree will survive even if the top dies out.

With all  the sub zero weather we been having I though I would check the fig trees in storage.
I think I can say I lost at lease 20 plants.
Ends of branches are black and wrinkled almost to soil level.
Can only hope spring comes soon and the rest will make it.. 

On This date February 9,I checked my inground trees again and noticed ,much more damage on many more cultivars.
Mt Etna type figs,are again Winners,with minimal to no damage ,Malta Black is also in good shape.
Others like ,Kathleen Black Maltese Falcon,Dalmatie,Atreano,Violette de Bordeaux,Saint Anthony,etc,have some visible damage ,on tips,and will know better in the Spring,the total damage.
Of course this Winter is ,more harsh than any other I witnessed in this location since 1988.
I am sure ,the  plants will survive,but will be much shorter in the Spring,some ,will start at the soil level.
If they are old in ground with old strong roots they will grow fast,and produce ripe fruits till Fall,especially if Summer is long and hot in 2014.

Major Die Back on all cultivars protected or not.
Blankets and Tarp over did not work this time.
Chicken wire cage filled with leaves and, water barrier,(plastic),in top worked much better.
The only fig trees with,  some  live outside  wood are those protected with leaves.
Now I know,because this Winter was ,as cold as it can be here.

Thank you for the report. You have convinced me not to grow in the ground in Denver. Hopefully, they will spring back quickly.

It's a big spin of the roulette wheel, isn't it.  Will it get this cold again next year?  Five Years?  Twenty years? 

I'm curious, Herman, what do you plan to do differently in the future?  Just protect them better? 

Pete, did you have black Madeira in the ground?

all my inground trees:  celeste, BT, chicago hardy, JHA, improved celeste , verte, MBVS all killed to ground. no protection other than mulch.  Hit zero 1 below several times this winter.  will defintely use protection next winter.  "no glove, no love"