It was nice having some cold weather for Christmas, but some of our plants might disagree.
Covering plants (and keeping them covered) was a big challenge with such high winds. Chances are, we’ve all got some plants that suffered damage. But it’s too early to give up and too soon to prune! Here are a few do’s and don’t do’s right now.
The good news is our forecast looks warm and sunny! Our best advice right now is to get everything uncovered, water well, and let everything enjoy the sunshine. The cold, dry wind dried everything out, so most plants will need water. But use a moisture meter and be sure not to water too much. Some plants wilt and look thirsty just because they’re cold and will perk up as temps rise.
Tender tropical plants like Philodendrons, Gingers, Cannas, and Bananas probably look pretty defeated right now unless you were able to cover them really well. Give tender tropicals at least a week before deciding to cut them back. Woodier tropicals like Bougainvillea and Hibiscus may have some damaged foliage, and will likely be fine, but time will tell. Don’t prune them yet.
Many perennials (such as Salvias, Duranta, Turk’s Cap, Mexican Bush Sage) that were left uncovered should survive. They look bad and they lost a lot of foliage, but they are mostly dormant right now anyway. Our first instinct may be to cut them back now, but it’s too early! You don’t want to prune now and make the plant think it’s time to start coming out of dormancy and putting on new growth. That new growth would be more cold-sensitive. Also, the ugly burned foliage will act as insulation if we get another freeze. If you can tolerate the unsightliness, leave them alone. If not, remove the damaged leaves, but don’t prune. Wait to prune until February when it’s time for plants to start putting on new Spring growth.
Keep in mind, it’s still Winter! Keep your frost cloth and plant covering supplies handy in case we get another cold snap. As always, get in touch if you have questions about specific plants. You can send us pictures to info@gillnursery.com, Facebook, or Instagram. Or give us a call or stop by!
Yvonne Macon says
So grateful for this site and nursery. I do have post freeze questions on two types of plants (Wedelia and Dwarf Mexican Petunia). I came out from California and relandscaped my sister’s .4 acres (she is now handicapped). I tried to research thoroughly but never is enough. I wish I found you then:-)
I planted 30 Dwarf Mexican Petunias and a whole section (75′ x 15′) in Wedelia (yellow dot). these are my questions:
PETUNIAS: Should I cut back the brown stems? They are set in rock. I covered all the petunias as best I could but some pulled up the first night. Some green is left in most plants, but most of each plant are brown/crispy. I note that I was previously treating them for fungus. I cut back landscape cloth, repeatedly treated, and they were well established. Curiously, many of the surviving leaves, were the ones with fungus still there?
WEDELIA: What post freeze treatment should it receive? It could not be covered. It is all brown and crispy. I put in tremendous effort to fight the weeds (stickers, crab, and all else) for 8 months until thick and bushy. Will I be faced with that again as they regrow?
Again, thank you for your nursery and advise.
james says
Wedelia and Mexican petunia should both come back after the freeze. I can’t guess how much weed problem you may have but whatever it is you will just have to deal with it.
Kim says
I had new grass planted in mid-October. I watered it well for 2 months and it had new growth showing. Now it does not look very good. How do I take care of this new grass planting?
james says
I can’t know for sure, but it’s very likely your grass is suffering from brown patch/large patch fungus. If so, it will recover in spring once it warms up, you should not be watering lawns weekly at this time of year, that really feeds the fungus.