What to Do with Plants Damaged by the Freeze

Did you have plants that were damaged by the freeze recently? While the nasty arctic blast that reached Houston over the holidays thankfully did not disrupt the state’s power grid, the cold weather did cause some damage nonetheless. Even though my husband and I carefully covered the bushes and flowering plants in our yard with sheets, not all of them made it! Everything we were able to move into the garage looks fine, but some of the plants in our flower beds were reduced to green mush by the freeze. Yuck! 

Did you have any plants damaged by the freeze at your home? You’re not alone. A lot of us are dealing with wilted gardens this month, and there may be more freezing weather to come in the new year. 

Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to protect what’s left of your garden in the aftermath of the freeze! Let me share some tips I’ve learned over the years with you.

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1. Be patient.

My first instinct used to be to get outside and start pruning damaged plants as soon as the weather got warm enough. Eventually, I learned this isn’t the best method. Instead, wait until spring to cut away the damaged areas. Prune dead stems all the way back. Live stems, however, need only the damaged areas cut back, as these will eventually regrow once warm temperatures return. 

2. Get rid of the stuff that’s never coming back. 

Unless you could bring them inside, your impatiens, begonias, angelonia, pentas, and ginger are likely gone for good. Clean up any dead, rotting, or mushy vegetation immediately after the freeze.

3. Look for the green.

Resist the urge to prune anything with bark until any chance of freezing has passed! If you can scratch a plant’s woody surface and find green tissue, it’s still alive. Once temperatures rise the threat of freezing is over, cut plants like lantana, hibiscus, bottlebrush, esperanza, duranta, plumbago, oleander, and hamelia back to the live wood. 

4. Leave palms alone.

If you’ve got palms in your yard, leave them alone—they’re tougher than they look. Spray the tops with fungicide to help keep them healthy as they go dormant.

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5. Prepare for the next freeze!

While freezing temps are still at the top of your mind, make a few preparations for next time. I like to buy old sheets and curtains from thrift stores that I can use to cover my plants when the weather turns nasty. It’s a lot easier to do this when you have plenty of time, rather than at the last minute before a freeze! 

As much as I love planting and caring for flowers and other green things, I’ve accidentally killed plenty over the years, and watched others die from the cold. Instead of a tragedy, I try to look at these deaths as an opportunity—now I get to buy more fun plants and care for them, too! I urge you to not get discouraged, because gardening never ends. Find some new plants you love and make them part of your garden family!

If you’re looking for a new home for your garden (and yourself), don’t hesitate to contact me today! I specialize in helping Houstonians upgrade their housing and find the perfect spot to live.