Fate of ground cover, sago palms, potted plants and shrubs is slowly being revealed
The wait — determining which plants will survive and which will die — after our February freeze continues.
Dozens of readers are writing in with questions about their ground cover, shrubs, flowers and trees, and extension agents Brandi Keller and Paul Winski, from Texas A&M Agrilife in Harris County, are answering them as fast as they can.
One way to learn more from these two and their colleagues at Texas A&M is to follow or subscribe to their YouTube channel, Harris County Extension Horticulture. The channel already has dozens of videos with information on winter recovery, spring gardening, soil testing, plant disease identification and much more.
Keller is the coordinator of its Master Gardener program in Harris County and Winski is a horticulture agent.
Q: Last fall, my female sago palm made a big seed ball on top, and it’s still there. Will my tree ever sprout from the top again or will it only sprout from the pups from now on? Also, if you were treating a sago palm for Asian scale, and the plant still has scale on the trunk, do you have to start all over
with the scale treatment?
A: Sago palms or cycads — they are not true palms — are still a big question mark, Keller said. They are not as cold hardy as some true palms. Cut the dead fronds back now and set the timer for a few months, as it can take that long for the story of the terminal bud to be told. That terminal bud is partly protected inside the top end of the trunk. If your sago survives and puts out what looks like a bloom (male and female plants structures look different), then it may delay new leaves even more.
If the sago has died, it will not grow new leaves or pups. If the sago was being treated for a pest such as Asian scale, and it still shows evidence of the pest, you should continue with the treatment.
Q: The leaves on some sections of the star jasmine on my espalier and fence have turned brown. Should I cut them back to the roots or should I pick off the dead leaves and prune?
A: Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), along with other woody shrubs and vines, are in the “wait and see” pile as growth will be delayed, Keller said. It sounds like part of it is alive. If so, you may only need to prune out the dead sections. Depending on how large the plant is, picking off dead leaves seems more like a test in patience. On parts of the stem in question, do a scratch test to determine if there is live tissue. If you have very spotty sections, then you may want to make it easy on yourself and take it back near the ground. The specimens I have seen appear dead to about 1-2 feet above the mulch level.
Q: My Japanese blueberry shrubs are 18 to 20 feet tall and currently are very brown and have lost a lot of leaves. Smaller branches are flexible, and when I scratch them, I see a cream color — not green. What can I do to help them recover?
A: You are doing exactly what you need to do … waiting, Winski said. Leaf drop is expected after the freeze event your tree just experienced. Having flexible branches is a good sign, you might want to scratch them and confirm that there is green wood below the bark. Not seeing green beneath the bark could be a sign that the shrubs are stressed. Give it some additional time to see if new growth emerges. Plants are resilient and can surprise you. Watch for bud emergence and new growth along the stem over the next few weeks.
Q: I have a 50-foot-long ‘Coppertone’ loquat hedge that runs along a fence and gets morning sun and filtered afternoon light. Its leaves are brown and some of them have fallen. I still see green when I scrape the branches. Is there hope for these shrubs?
A: The ‘Coppertone’ loquats (Eriobotrya japonica ‘Coppertone’) are quite hardy and should be fine, Winski said. Some damage to the leaves is expected. Watch for new growth at the tips of the stems and branches, then you will know the tree is actively growing.
Q: What should I do to help my plumbago, which was severely damaged in the winter storm?
A: Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata) is a flowering, tropical perennial that was not happy with the freeze, Winski said. Mine is completely brown, as I am sure yours is also. Prune the plant back to 6 inches above the ground and wait to see if new growth emerges from the base of the plant.
Q: My hibiscus, ixora and oleander were in pots in my backyard and were not covered during the freeze. Are they all a hopeless case?
A: It depends where the plants were during the freeze event, Winski said. If they were close to the house, you may have provided some additional protection. Without any type of protection, they may not survive. Prune back the dead stems and branches and give what’s left in the pot some time. If the root systems were not damaged, they may return.
Q: I lost quite a few plants from the February freeze. Can you recommend easy-care plants for a shady garden? I live in The Woodlands and I need shrubs and ground cover.
A: There are plenty of options available for the shade garden, Winski said. Ajuga is a 6- to 8inch-tall ground cover in various colors, including pink, purple and green. Mondo grass is densegrowing dark green or black leaves. Both are low maintenance. Mahonia ‘Charity’ is an underutilized shrub around the area that grows 10-15 feet tall. It has stiff, dark green foliage and yellow blossoms that transform into dark blue grapelike fruit. Finally, camellia is an evergreen, blooming shrub that grows to around 10 feet. Camellia sasanqua blooms in the fall, while camellia japonica blooms in the spring.