Houston, Texas Gardening: Recovering from a Freeze

Here in Houston, Texas this spring, the weather has changed from 20 degrees to 80 degrees in three weeks, and to say the least many of our gardens are suffering. It seemed as if Houston gardeners had just enough time to pull the blankets off their plants before they had to worry about whether their gardens were getting enough water in the heat. If your Houston, Texas garden has taken a beating this spring, below are some tips to help it recover.

General tips for after a Houston, Texas freeze. Before taking any action after a freeze, be sure and give your garden a few days to recover. Sometimes plants that look freeze damaged just need a little time. Then cut back any soggy foliage, and mulch your Houston, Texas garden well. Pick off the dead leaves, and remove any parts of a plant that are mushy and brown. For plants where pruning is recommended, it may not be obvious where the dead wood ends and the healthy wood begins. Try scratching the bark with your fingernail - if you see green, that's healthy wood.

Perennials in your Houston, Texas garden can be cut back an inch or two if they are damaged to encourage new growth. If you lose any of your annuals, well, they were annuals. In general, don't fertilize your Houston, Texas garden until late spring, although there are a few plants that will benefit from fertilizer. Below are tips for more specific plants in your Houston, Texas garden.

Hibiscus. Prune your Hibiscus back to the healthy wood after a freeze. New growth should start to appear now that the warmer Houston, Texas days have returned, although if plants were severely damaged in the freeze this could take a few months. This is one of the plants in your garden that will benefit from being fertilized.

Palm Trees. Remove any dead leaves but do not prune your palm trees. Spray your palm trees with a fungicide, but don't fertilize them. Don't overwater them, either. Established Houston, Texas palm trees should come back from a freeze just fine, but younger ones may need a little more TLC.

Oleander. Prune your Oleander back to the healthy wood after a freeze. This may mean cutting them down to the ground in your Houston, Texas garden but don't worry, they will regrow. Keep an eye on them for a few weeks, as freeze damage may take time to show itself on Oleander.

Bougainvilleas. Do not prune your Houston, Texas Bougainvilleas after a freeze. The damaged wood will actually protect them and encourage new growth. Mulch them well and give them a little time to recover from the freeze. It can take up to two months for new growth to appear in your garden.

Plumeria. Remove any frost damaged leaves, and prune the branches back to healthy wood (see the scratch test above.) Don't give up on your Plumeria, as they may seem to be succumbing to damage from a Houston, Texas freeze and then suddenly burst forth with buds in your garden. Mulch them and give them a little time to recover.

Source list:

Personal experience
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