![]() ![]() Unfortunately, there’s nothing to be done in this case…just wait and hope for a better crop next year. Fruit trees that were in bloom or bud will probably lose this fruit, and this year’s fruit production will be impacted. Trees (including fruit trees): Established trees should be fine, though again, there may be die-back at the tips of the stems. If you find “pups” – the vegetative reproductive structures of a succulent – around the base of the plant, clear away any dead foliage to expose pups to light and sun. Succulents: Unfortunately, succulents – with their juicy, water-filled leaves or paddles – generally don’t survive an extended freeze remove all smelly, soggy, or otherwise rotted stems and foliage. Photo #3: A different salvia left uncovered seems lifeless, but scratch test shows it is alive. Photo #2: Upon further inspection, healthy new growth is emerging. Photo #1: Salvia nemorosa at NHG looks dead. Cutting back before the plant has a chance to come out of dormancy may lead to accidentally cutting off stems where blooms would occur. Some perennials like Turk’s cap and salvia often die back almost all the way to the ground the amount of pruning will be controlled by how much dead wood you find. ![]() If you suspect die-back on woody stems, scrape the surface of the stem with a fingernail or make a small cut with a knife to see where dead brown wood stops and green begins. This is your guide as to how much to cut back. If you’re taking care of shrubs, it’s important to be patient and watch for signs of new foliage to emerge. More herbaceous perennials like aspidistra, ferns, and giant leopard plant may die back to the ground, but don’t give up: these tough shade-lovers usually re-emerge. Shrubs that flower early like Indian hawthorn, camellias, and azaleas may have fewer blooms. There may be die-back of leaves on evergreen shrubs like boxwood, and deciduous perennials such as barberry, vitex, and hydrangeas may need a good shaping up to remove dead wood. Perennials: Established perennials will probably be fine. Early spring is also the time to get tomatoes started. Herbs and veggies with tender foliage like dill, chives, and lettuce won’t survive, but they’re easy to replace and we have a good selection in stock. Herbs & Vegetables: Many of our tough, popular herbs like mint, thyme, and sage should be fine, along with cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cabbage and root veggies like carrots and beets. NHG has the latest seasonal blooms coming in weekly. If your annuals don’t recover quickly, take it as an opportunity to re-invigorate pots with spring color. How to Treat Frozen PlantsĪnnuals: Blooming annuals such as pansies and winter color like ornamental kale should come back after they’re watered and have gotten some sunlight. Assuming your plants were protected from cold, here are some guidelines for going forward on how to save plants after a frost. Be patient and watch for visual cues that indicate if the plant will – or will not – return. The biggest factors that influence a plant’s ability to survive are if the plant is healthy and planted in its proper zone if trees and perennials have been established for 3+ years and if the plant had adequate protection (mulch and frost cloth) and was well-watered prior to the freeze. Freeze damage first affects blooms, then buds, then leaves, then stems, then roots. The Dallas Metroplex has recently been subjected to temperatures that many of us have never experienced before, and we will be dealing with the effects of this extended freeze for some time. Some types of rosemary are hardier than others, “but very few can survive zero degrees.As gardeners, we want to save what plants we can after a dramatic weather event like a heat wave or a winter storm. “Many herbs like rosemary and lavender will be dead and will need to be replaced, especially those in pots, which are always less cold hardy than those in the ground,” Martin says. It will take months to see if they resprout.” Palm trees? Most will be damaged or dead, according to Martin, but “do nothing but cut off the dead fronds for now.“The good news is, most of them will cast their damaged leaves and resprout,” he says. Martin says the hardest-hit plants and trees include live oaks, Indian hawthorn, abelias, loropetalums, ground covers such as Asian jasmine and purple wintercreeper and succulents. Watering, pruning or fertilizing won’t make it happen quicker.” “There is nothing you can do to speed up the freeze damage healing process. He suggests waiting until normally dormant plants start to resprout and evergreen species cast their leaves. “There is no way to currently know the full extent of the damage or whether all your plants will have survived or not,” Martin says. ![]()
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