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Dead or dormant? How to tell if your plants survived Texas’ winter blast

Last week Central Texans watched as snow and ice blanketed landscapes in a series of storms rivaling Northern blizzards.

As power is restored, water becomes safe to drink and the process of repairing damage has begun, it’s time for garden assessment.

It’s ugly out there. Finally able to walk my dogs, I found downed tree limbs or cut brush at almost every house in our neighborhood. Prized agaves, sago palms and other specimen plants turned to rotting mush. Tough-as-nails rosemary bushes sport black branches. This unprecedented freeze damage has left even seasoned gardeners wondering what will return and what’s gone for good? Is it dead or is it dormant?

We normally only have a few weeks left until the danger of frost has passed. According to the USDA Hardiness Zone map for the Austin area, our average last frost occurs between March 1 and March 31. It’s usually the middle of March. But it hasn’t been a typical winter.

Cacti that are mushy and seeping probably won't make it to summer after the winter snow and ice.

Cacti that are mushy and seeping probably won’t make it to summer after the winter snow and ice.

The most important thing right now is to wait. If you prune a dormant plant right now and warm weather stimulates growth, the new leaves will be highly susceptible if we have another freeze, and it will then die. If you wait until the danger of frost has passed, you will give your dormant plants a fighting chance.

The center of this sago palm should be checked. If it is still hard, it should make it.

The center of this sago palm should be checked. If it is still hard, it should make it.

Palm trees

Native Sabal minor palm trees tolerate freezes in most years. Most other palms won’t make it. If the center bud is firm, the plant might survive. Cut off drooping, dead or damaged leaves. If your palm has a rotting crown, or you can easily pull fronds out of the trunk, it won’t come back. If you’re unsure, however, give it plenty of time to recuperate.

Cycads – Sago palms

Many Austin gardeners enjoy the drama of large Sago palms in their landscapes. Not actually palms, Sagos are cycads. They generally tolerate temperatures down to 15 degrees. Frost-damaged leaves turn yellow or brown and should be removed. If the trunk and leaf crown are hard wood, it should recover. If the trunk turns soft, your sago might be damaged beyond recovery. After the freeze of 2010, Sagos across town were devastated but most had no crown damage. By summer, new leaves emerged and the plants thrived.

This rosemary has survived 20-plus years, but not the winter storm of 2021. It probably won't come back.

This rosemary has survived 20-plus years, but not the winter storm of 2021. It probably won’t come back.

Shrubs and woody perennials

Rosemary normally does fine in our mild winters, even handling a few light frosts for short periods. Days on end of single-digit weather and wet snow spelled the end of the road for even the most established plants. You can remove them at any time — they won’t be coming back.

Salvias range from cold hardy to tender. Some Salvia Greggiis even survive to 0 degrees. If you don’t know your exact variety, the best approach is to cut them back to green wood. Once you see green inside the cut, stop. If you don’t see any green, simply cut it back to the ground and be very patient. It may come back from the roots, given a few months.

Salvia can be cut down to see if there is green in the branches.

Salvia can be cut down to see if there is green in the branches.

Take the same approach with shrubs and other woody perennials that appear dead like pittosporum, loropetalum, lantana and boxwood.

Succulents

We know some plants simply aren’t cold hardy. Many agaves, cacti and other succulents won’t survive after the prolonged deep freeze and snow. A handful of species might have weathered the storm, and you’ll know if there is hope if you have a firm center inside the collapsed outer leaves.

Sotols, Yuccas and Nolinas are usually Texas tough. Many in my garden and elsewhere are looking great after the winter assault. Whale’s tongue and havardiana agaves are reported to have survived in some landscapes as well.

The plants might look bad right now, but some of them might surprise us by summer

The plants might look bad right now, but some of them might surprise us by summer.

Cacti

Crumbled mounds of mush, prickly pear cacti simply disintegrated all over town. There might be hope for some of them, however, depending on the species. Some varieties of Optunia are hardy to 15, 10 or 0 degrees.

Agave might look very bad right now, but some of them might survive.

Agave might look very bad right now, but some of them might survive.

Cacti are very sensitive to the timing of pruning. While their dying pads and stems look terrible, it is important to wait until it is really warm to prune them. Then dust the big cuts with sulfur to help dry out the cuts. Jointed cacti regenerate really well, but the columnar ones should be cut back to the base or you will just end up with a permanent stump. If the plant is oozing, you can remove it now.

Our plants took an incredible hit. Those that survive will need much longer to recover than milder years.

Once, after a terrible freeze, I advised my clients repeatedly to wait longer before pulling out plants. I ignored my own advice and ripped out a very small Anacacho Orchid Tree only to find the tiniest green growth at the base of the plant that was hidden by mulch. So, wait, wait, and wait some more.

Heat Stress Solutions for Landscape Plants

During the dog days, when rain is scarce and scorching is the order of the day, many plants will wilt and burn.  The summer sun brings blooms, but as temperatures climb to triple digits, it takes a toll on our gardens.

We can’t turn down the outside thermostat, but there are things you can do to help your garden weather the heat.

When it’s sweltering outside, our bodies sweat to cool off.  Plants sweat to cool off too, through a process called transpiration.  Transpiration is basically water movement through the plant and the resulting evaporation from the leaves, flowers and stems.  The plant takes water and minerals from the roots and sends it to the leaves.  In extreme heat, this loss of water can be devastating.  If the water loss isn’t made up by more replacement water in the soil, the plant will wilt and begin to decline.

Water right

How you water makes as much difference as how much you water.  Because most sprinklers lose a lot of water to evaporation, watering should be done in the predawn or early morning hours to prevent scorch and maximize the amount of water going directly to the plants.  Don’t be tempted to water more often.  Frequent light watering actually hurts plants, encouraging them to keep shallow roots.  Longer, less frequent watering develops deep roots — away from the hot soil surface – that require less water.

Drip irrigation provides the most efficient way to water.  Keeping water next to the plants and using minimal pressure, there is almost no evaporation or runoff with drip irrigation.  Because this method releases water so slowly, watering takes much longer, so make sure your plants are getting enough.  Ensure the hose is properly positioned – it should reach around the plant roots.

Of course, using rainwater is great when you can get it.  Plants always prefer natural rainwater to chemically treated tap water.  Whether you use rain barrels or buckets or a cistern, collect as much as you can.

And sometimes, even more water isn’t enough.  When we hit triple digits, hot is just plain hot.   In the scorching sun, plants can get sunburned just like we do.  Plant sunburn generally appears in the middle of the leaf because edges and leaf tips can dissipate heat better.  If your plants are burning, try to provide some temporary shade until temperatures come back down a little.

Mulch well

Any bare ground that is not mulched radiates heat directly onto your plants.  A good layer of wood much insulates the soil, reducing water loss from the soil surface and protecting plants against heat.  Mulch helps prevent evaporation and retains water to keep plant roots moist.  And, it also helps control weeds that also compete for any available water.

Don’t Fertilize

As you begin to see signs of stress in your plants, fertilizing them might seem like the thing to do.  Don’t.  Fertilizing them will push them to grow, adding even more stress.  The best plan is to feed them before the stress of summer, so they are better able to handle the heat when it soars.

Identify pests and disease

Keep an eye out for pest damage and plant disease at this time of year.  Plants already struggling with health issues will quickly succumb to heat and drought.  Check for detrimental insects often.  Look under leaves and inspect in the evening, when many pests are more active.  Be careful not to use chemical products that will hurt the beneficial insects in your garden that control pests naturally.

Other causes of stress in plants can be exacerbated by the heat. In my garden, late summer marks the onset of chlorosis in some plants.  Common in clay and limestone soils high in pH, this nutrient deficiency keeps plants from synthesizing the chlorophyll they need, causing leaf yellowing.  There are many causes of yellowing, including over and under watering.  Consult with your independent garden center if you’re unsure about the cause.

Top Tips to Handle the Heat

  1. Water deep and long
  2. Mulch well
  3. Don’t fertilize
  4. Address other stress issues
By |2020-08-21T09:32:05-05:00August 20th, 2020|Articles, mulch, water wise, weather, xeric|6 Comments

Easy beautiful flower bouquets from your own garden

If Covid-19 is keeping you at home, why not bring your garden in with you? Even if you only have a small yard, chances are you have everything you need to bring a beautiful, garden-fresh bouquet into your home.

You may think you need daisies or roses or other traditional cutting flowers to create a floral arrangement.  You don’t.  Have you thought about adding in lantana or salvia or branches from your shrubs?  Landscape shrubs with beautiful stems – whether they bloom or not – can stand alone or provide structure, color, and texture to a vase full of flowers.

I used to have a very small bed that I called the cutting garden.  In the spring it was full of bluebonnets, larkspur, gladiolas, clematis and roses.  Later, it was overflowing with orange cosmos, lion’s tail and zinnias.  But you don’t have to have a special cutting garden to cut flowers to bring inside.

When I wander outside to cut flowers for a vase, I walk through the entire garden. Nothing is off limits as I add pretty blooms to my bucket.  One of my favorite additions, the perennial, Esperanza, also commonly known as Yellow Bells, (Tecoma stans) adds a hot pop of color with an arching form and soft foliage in any kind of vase.  Since they bloom from late spring into fall, I always have something yellow with which to make an arrangement.  I also have several colors of lantana throughout the garden, so I never have a shortage of filler.

Don’t forget about your vegetable or herb garden plants, either.  Rosemary, parsley, sage and basil are regular additions to my vases.  They add beautiful foliage and make the house smell wonderful.  You might even forego a fruit or vegetable in favor of the beautiful bloom it produces.  I always let my artichokes bloom because I’m smitten with the flowers.  I just buy my artichokes at the grocery store.  Consider using the lovely blooms of okra or onions the next time you create a bouquet.

Landscape plants for floral arrangements

Indigo spires salvia
Yellow bells
Lion’s Tail
Mexican oregano
Salvia Greggii
Verbena
Pride of Barbados
Crape Myrtle
Lantana
Rosemary
Loropetalum
Japanese Quince
Abelia
Bi-color iris
Native grasses
Pentas
Ferns
Artemsia
Oleander

Almost anything in your garden can be worked into a bouquet.  Now that you’ve identified some of your own pretty garden flowers that you’d like to put into a vase, how do you start?

First, cut your flowers and foliage early or late in the day, when it’s cooler and their stems are firm and full of water.  In the heat of the day, flowers become dehydrated.  Take a bucket of water out into the garden with you, so you can drop them straight into the water after you’ve cut them.

Plants with multiple buds or bloom spikes, like Indigo or mystic spires salvias or larkspur, should have at least one bud open when you cut to ensure that the remainder will open once in your vase.  Flowers that grow on individual stems should be cut when fully open.

Use clean, sharp tools like a small kitchen knife or floral snips to cut delicate stems and pruners to cut woodier stalks. Don’t use scissors – they will crush the stem and prevent proper water intake.  Cut stems as long as possible to give yourself more options when putting together the arrangement.  You can always make them shorter later.  Make cuts at a 45-degree angle to allow as much space on the stem to drink in the water.  For woody stems, you can also split the bottom inch of the stem with a knife to increase their ability to take in more water.

Removing most of the leaves from the stems, particularly below the water level, encourages water absorption and keeps the vase from being too crowded.  It also helps retard bacterial growth that shortens the life of the flowers and makes the water smelly and cloudy.

Now it’s time to decide how you want to arrange the flowers and in which container they’ll look best.

Any water-tight vessel will work.  Small cream pitchers or mason jars work well with small, posy-style bouquets.  Tall, columnar vases look best with a few long stems or flowers or branches.  Galvanized buckets or ornamental watering cans pair nicely with a wild arrangement of more rustic flowers.  A vase that flares out at the top will allow arching stems to droop gracefully from the bouquet.  I sometimes tie raffia or other ribbon around the vase, and I’ve also added sliced lemons to line the inside of a glass vase.

Just as with planters, for most floral arrangements, you’ll want to include thrillers, spillers and fillers.  The height of your flowers should equal about one and a half times the height of the container.  Start by adding some stems of your filler – these could be foliage or more delicate or smaller-sized blooms.  Then add your focal point.  This could be a single bloom or 3 to 5 blooms, depending on the size of your vase.  (Using odd numbers of blooms will be most visually appealing.) These might be the largest or most unique blooms in your arrangement, and should be taller than the filler.  Then add your accents – smaller than your showstopper, in complementary colors and textures.  You can choose to go with a monochromatic collection of blooms, or vivid, contrasting colors.

I sometimes find it’s easier for me to “build” my arrangement in my hand, starting with the focal point and turning the collection with each addition and lowering the height of the stems as I work my way around.  There’s no right or wrong way; these are just tips to help you create a beautiful balanced arrangement.  You can also make dramatic, exotic asymmetrical bouquets, tightly combined cube or fishbowl vases, or floral foam arrangements for shorter centerpieces.

The best way to ensure you get the longest life out of your arrangement is to add a ready-made preservative like Floral Life.  These contain the right amounts of nutrition, cleanser and citric acid.  Change the water daily and remove spent blooms.  You can also cut the stems again to help lengthen bloom life.

Mix colorful garden edibles into your landscape

Want to expand the plant palette in your landscape but having trouble finding just the right plants?  Consider mixing edibles into your ornamental garden beds.  Many families are working on growing Victory gardens during this Covid-19 crisis.  Even if you don’t have a designated veggie garden, you can still start growing them.

For those with smaller gardens who want to grow their own food, working vegetables into the landscape makes the best use of precious space.  No longer relegated to huddle in a hidden corner of the yard, edibles can stake their claim throughout the garden and open up a whole new group of plants to help you spice up your ornamental landscape.

Edibles aren’t just for eating anymore.  They also add color, texture and scent to the garden. Spring is the perfect time to evaluate your needs and incorporate veggies and herbs into the landscape.  Unsightly holes left by annuals or perennials that didn’t survive the winter can be welcoming spaces for edibles if the conditions are right.  Just make sure the light and water needs match those of your existing perennials and evergreen plants.  Most vegetables want six hours of sun and need consistent moisture.  Many herbs are drought-tolerant and will thrive with less water.

One of my favorite plant color combinations is the chartreuse, burgundy and ice blue colors often used in the Pacific Northwest.  With far fewer burgundy choices in our climate, I was stumped trying to incorporate those colors into my Austin landscape.  I had loropetalum, non-invasive nandina, and black scallop ajuga in my garden, but wanted more burgundy options. So, I turned to the vegetable and herb section at my local independent nursery.  Purple ruffles basil, red acre cabbage and red Russian kale proved excellent choices to tuck in between my contrasting perennials.

Many edibles also provide interesting contrast by adding unique texture and form into the mix.  Artichokes, with their large, spiky leaves and brilliant lavender thistle-like blooms make stunning sculptural focal points.  Thick-veined and curly greens stand out when planted next to smaller, softer border plants like zexmenia, purple skullcap or damianita. Feathery dill plants give the garden a wispy element to include next to woody perennials.

Plant herbs among your ornamentals for the scent they bring to the garden.  Instead of hidden away in a vegetable bed, rosemary or lavender along a path will release its fragrance every time someone walks by.  You’ll enjoy spicy aroma of thyme if you plant it around stepping stones.

Adding vegetables and herbs into your ornamental beds will also attract more pollinators.  Scatter a few bronze fennel, parsley, thyme, and chive plants throughout the landscape to provide both food and habitat for pollinators.  Unlike pests that eat other herbs, when swallowtail caterpillars defoliate my parsley, I know I can soon look forward to watching the emerging butterflies flit around the garden.

If you have a deer, rabbit or other animal problem, working edibles into your plan may prove more challenging.  Critters know no boundaries when it comes to foraging.  Deer will stay away from many aromatic herbs and velvety or spiky plants like artichokes.  Animals also generally leave the onions, garlic, leeks and chives to us.  You’ll have to experiment to determine what works in your garden.

Some years I have bunnies inside the fenced back yard, and some years I don’t. Last year I discovered a nest of three fuzzy baby bunnies under the oversized artichoke plant inside my fenced vegetable garden.  Needless to say, I left them there where they grew up enough to enjoy my 15 newly planted strawberry transplants next to the artichoke.  I guess that’s the definition or gardening for wildlife.

Whether you want to eat them or look at them, including edibles in your ornamental landscape can be both filling and fulfilling.

Step into your garden to shake off stress

There’s a lot going on right now, and I’m sure you’re looking for some stress relief, escape, and distraction.  Luckily, you only need to look as far as your yard for a place to meditate, exercise, and get your hands in some healing dirt. Studies demonstrate that spending time in a garden can improve our well-being – both physically and mentally.

Shake off the stress

Our lives have been upended.  Working and learning from home is stressful. The strain of uncertainty looms into the future.

According to the American Horticultural Therapy Association, spending time in nature reduces stress, lowers blood pressure and relieves muscle tension.  Being in the garden or completing mindless and soothing garden chores help us fight tension and reduce ‘attention fatigue.’  Studies show as little as 30 minutes of gardening a week can improve self-esteem, reduce anger and ease depression.  And, gardeners are more energetic and less anxious.

How often have  you complained about not having enough time? Now is the perfect time to restore balance and routine to your life.

Can’t go to the gym?

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), “Gardening is an excellent way to get physical activity. Active people are less likely than inactive people to be obese or have high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, depression, colon cancer, and premature death.”

The CDC recommends being active for at least 2 1/2 hours per week, and including cardio and muscle strengthening activities.  Gardeners are also more likely to exercise — about 40 minutes longer on average than those who walk or bike.  We know what that means – we set out to tackle one gardening chore, only to get sucked into pulling just a few more weeds or deadheading just a few more flowers.

Gardening can also help people who are recovering from physical illness by strengthening muscles and improving balance and coordination. Be sure to start out slowly if you aren’t used to this kind of activity and always check with your doctor to make sure it’s safe for you to undertake.

Design your own garden workout routine at home.  Gardening chores are excellent exercises and offer anything from soothing stretches to serious cardio. Did you know raking leaves for 30 minutes burns 225 calories – and provides weight training and tones all the major muscles groups in your body.  Choose your chore, from raking, pruning, digging or hauling bags of mulch.

While tackling all the oak sprouts popping up this spring, not only am I clearing out a bed, but whacking at them with the hoe releases pent-up anxiety and helps me achieve a sense of control and accomplishment.

Before you head out to garden, do some stretches to warm up and loosen your muscles.  Remember to bend and lift properly when you’re gardening. Be mindful not to twist while pulling hoses or reaching.

Practice mindfulness in the garden

If gardening isn’t your style, you can still find solace outdoors.  Take your phone or your computer outside and set up a space to meditate or follow online yoga.

Make a plate and eat your lunch outside and listen to the birds.

Now more than ever, we can seek hope and healing in nature.  Gardens inspire us. Beneath the surface of beautiful blooms and stunning structure lies a hidden gem that can also become a vital component of a healthy and balanced lifestyle at this difficult time.

Building beautiful borders in the garden

Successful, well-designed and attractive landscapes include beds with layers of plants and a variety of shapes, textures and color.  Strategically placed anchor plants, evergreen foundation shrubs, medium-sized perennials, and small border plants, all work together to create a pretty palette.

But many gardeners ask, how do I know which plants to put where?  How do I select the correct size for my space?

Plants grow, and some of them grow a lot once they’re out of that tiny pot you bought and nestled in your lovely garden.  Planting too close together creates more work later as you struggle to prune all the time or are forced to remove plants to allow enough space for them all to thrive.  Believe nursery tags and nursery staff and follow the guidelines in your research.

The plants in the front of your layered beds will be ground covers or border plants.  For most gardens, these plants typically don’t get much bigger than about 18” tall.  There are, of course,  exceptions, depending on the overall scope and proportion of the landscape, whether it’s a very small space or a sizeable piece of property.  The true test is how they will look in comparison to the next line or area of plants behind them in the bed.  Border plants should provide a contrast in size between layers and should look good together, combining different colors, textures and shapes.

How do I pick border plants?  The first order of business is to determine the amount of sun or shade that your border gets.  When the sun is at different points in the sky in the winter, it’s not a true reflection of how plants will fare when heat stressed. I try to consider conditions in the worst of summer, because those days are so intense.

The terms full sun, full shade, part sun, part shade are associated with specific amounts.  Full sun means a site gets at least 6 full hours of sun most days.  But, here in Central Texas, some plants labeled full sun may still struggle if that’s all blistering afternoon sun.  Do your research to determine if there are any limits on tolerance that might apply.

Full shade doesn’t mean no sun at all.  Labels calling for full shade conditions refer to less than 3 hours of sunlight each day, and filtered light the remainder of the day.  In the Austin area, those 3 hours simply cannot fully expose plants in the heat of the day.  A little dappled morning light and good afternoon shade is a much better guide for us.

Part sun or part shade are sometimes used to mean similar conditions, with slight adjustments leaning in either direction.  Generally, these designations refer to between three to six hours of exposure most days.  Part sun  means plants will need the minimum sun requirements to set flowers and bloom.  Part shade also means protecting your plants from the intense afternoon sun, allowing them some sun at other times.  As always, discussing your situation with nursery staff can provide more detailed information.

Some beautiful border plants for Central Texas include:

Agave (some varieties)

Ajuga

Aztec grass

Batface cuphea

Blackfoot Daisy

Bluebonnet

Bulbine

Catmint

Evening primrose

Creeping germander

Dalea

Damianita

Dyckia

Four nerve daisy

Ice plant

Lamb’s ear

Liriope

Lyre leaf sage

Mexican feather grass

Mexican heather

Monkey grass

Pigeonberry

Plum yew

Purple heart

Dwarf Mexican Petunia

Lavender cotton

Sedge (some varieties)

Skullcap

Society garlic

Verbena

Winecup

Yarrow

Yuccas (some varieties)

Zexmenia

Border plants don’t have to be planted in a straight line.  You can also cluster plants in sections according to size, color or texture.  Place them in drifts in front of the next section of larger plants based on which ones look best together.

Many annuals also make excellent border plants, adding color and interest at specific times through the year and allowing you to change out your look with the seasons.

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