RICHMOND, Texas — From bloom to doom, last week’s freeze left yards and gardens looking like plant graveyards.
Joey Lenderman, owner of Enchanted Gardens in Richmond, has been busy fielding questions from customers.
“Lots of questions, lots of concern,” Lenderman said. “What’s going to survive in their yard because, you know, we haven’t been through cold weather like this in decades.”
So here’s the dirt on what’s probably a goner: tropical plants.
“Lots of hibiscus are in Houston, and unfortunately, they may not come back from the freeze," Lenderman said.
Lenderman adds bougainvilleas, mandevillas, annuals, begonias and impatiens.
When it comes to palms, it just depends. Lenderman thinks queen and pygmy palms probably will not have survived, but sago palms will probably be OK, although it could a while for them to recover. He suggests cutting back any of the brown palms.
Cacti also will probably not have been able to sustain the deep freeze.
The good news? “Established citrus trees should come back. Now they probably will need to be cut back anywhere from 25 to 50 percent," Lenderman said.
Lenderman also believes foxtail ferns, roses, bushes and shade trees should be just fine, just cut back the brown leaves or flowers.
There’s no doubt Texas plants took a beating last week. Feel free to apply a little TLC.
“I would do a mild organic liquid fertilizer just to ease them back out of their dormancy," Lenderman said.
If you just can’t tell whether one of your plants survived, wait a few weeks.
For more information about Enchanted Gardens, click here.