After the big freeze, it’s time to clean up
The recent big chills, with consecutive nights in the 20s, freeze-dried many gardens. But don’t dismay. Pear trees will soon bloom, narcissus will raise their fragrant heads, and snowflakes will be up and about.
It’s obvious some plants are history: Impatiens and begonias are now soggy stems. Angelonias, pentas and ferns are also done.
Now is the time to clean up the mushy, stinky stuff, advises the Harris County Texas AgriLife Extension Service. But don’t prune anything with bark until danger of frost has passed.
Although sources vary by a few days, many mark the average last frost in early March.
Keep an eye on the forecast before taking the clippers to that dead wood on lantana, hibiscus, esperanza, duranta, plumbago, oleander and firebush.
Give plants time to green up. If the plant is pliable and you can scratch the surface and see green tissue, it’s still alive.
Once we’re frost-clear, cut back to live wood. If there’s none above the soil line, remove the dead top and wait. Older, typically garden-hardy hibiscus varieties stand a better chance of repeat performances than tender tropical types. Large, established oleanders likely will return; dwarf oleanders are iffy. Oncetowering angel’s trumpet (Brugmansia spp.) may now resemble a soft-
limbed candelabra, but they should return from the roots.
Unprotected limes and lemons also suffered, but thick-skinned grapefruit, oranges and mandarins have proven surprisingly tolerant.
With some plants, it may be a longer wait-andsee proposition. Prefreeze health, type, soil moisture, mulch and protection will influence their survival.
For frozen palms, if there’s green in the crown, there’s hope. Don’t prune just yet, but spray the crown now with a copperbased fungicide and then again in 10 days. Apply a palm fertilizer with trace elements every two months March through September.
Q: What vegetables can be planted in January? Martha Kennedy, Houston
A: Sow carrots, lettuce, mustard and radish in prepared vegetable beds or among your ornamentals.
Lettuce, mustard, collard, broccoli, cauliflower, chard and strawberry transplants also are available.
Sow tomatoes indoors and transplant outdoors in late February, if there are no freezing temps in the extended forecast or by mid-March. Be prepared to protect plants should there be a late frost.