HARDY BEAUTIES ARE REAL SURVIVORS
The recent winter freeze helped spotlight these three cold-tolerant plants
Here are three plants that fared well through the recent freeze. Conditions from home to home vary, so you may have slightly different observations. More cold temperatures are to come, so we will see which ones prove the hardiest.
Creeping Jenny
My mother always called it creeping Jenny, but it also goes by creeping Charlie or moneywort. I love growing Lysimachia nummularia. It is a lovely mat-like creeper that does well as a ground cover or as a spiller in a pot mixed in with annuals or perennials. Many grow it in a rock garden or around a pond. The lime-green-gold tone of the small, round leaves is the major draw. It contrasts beautifully with most plants, but especially those with dark green or red foliage/flowers. Where the leaf node contacts the soil, fibrous roots grow, creeping, creeping on its way.
In some areas of the country, it can be aggressive, but I have not found that here. On the contrary, it has always been a little timid for me. Planting a purchased pot will establish quicker than attempting to divide and reestablish it. If it is propagated by division, try to keep as much soil intact as possible and make sure it’s watered well. This plant benefited from the February 2021 freeze. It has never looked in better health or as full. One downside is that weeds can poke through. When you pull them up, hold the moneywort down as much as possible so the roots have minimal disturbance.
There is an invasive species that also goes by creeping Jenny, but it is field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis).
Salvia, top, and Mexican heather, above, did well in the recent cold snap.
Mexican heather
Cuphea hyssopfolia has a rich history, but it only hit the Texas Superstar list last year. This means that it performs consistently well throughout the state. The tiny flowers are pollinator magnets, especially for honeybees. You can imagine the impact they make when planting in groupings, but the shape of the 1- to 2-foot-tall tender perennial also suites those with an eye for symmetry in their design.
Many heathers were lost during the February freeze last year. Ours had been in the ground for a couple years, and although it was impacted by the long freeze, it was established enough that it bounced back to the same size.
There are small sections of leaves that were impacted from the freeze last month, but the buds seemed to have been spared, again proving itself a worthy opponent to temperatures that merely teeter around 32 degrees. While Mexican heather makes a lovely container plant, you would need to move it to shelter for lower temperatures since the soil in a pot would not provide as much insulation as earth and mulch.
There are native alternatives for this plant, but none are comparable to the numerous small flowers and upright, spreading habit of the Mexican heather, although it, too, can be aggressive in some yards.
‘Mystic Spires Blue’ salvia
There are many varieties of salvia that thrive in Texas, but our ‘Mystic Spires Blue’ ( Salvia longispicata x farinacea), just went into the ground in October and has established quickly. Despite the nearby hibiscus and peace lily showing leaf damage from the recent chill, this salvia showed no signs that cold weather passed through on either its leaves or the flowers.
Some reports claim that the secret to cold hardiness is welldrained soil for this plant. I don’t expect this tolerance, but it is nice while it lasts.
The 10- to 12-inch flowering spikes of the perennial contrast well with the compact form of green leaves. Add it as an intermediate height when layering colors and textures. It loves full sun and performs well in the ground or in larger containers. Mature size is 18 to 30 inches
tall, slightly shorter than ‘Indigo Spires.’ It is pretty low maintenance and popular with pollinators. If a freeze knocks it back, avoid pruning it to the ground, waiting instead until new spring growth emerges and looks healthy.
“Mystic Spires Blue” is another Texas Superstar, performing well with heat and humidity.