Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but your garden doesn’t need to be! Today in Austin, TX, and the surrounding areas, we’re expecting some rare snowfall and then freezing temps this evening and tonight. Here’s what to do to protect your plants:
- Water before dark: Water your annuals (pansies, alyssum, violas) before it gets dark and cold, as well as your evergreens. Don’t worry about the perennials, they’ll freeze back anyway. Watering prevents plant dehydration and moist soil will give off a bit of heat when the plant needs it.
- Cover your tenders: Again, don’t worry about those perennials (mexican bush sage, purple cone flower)–they’re going to freeze back, they’re supposed to and they’re not dead. Evergreens by and large will be fine. Focus on covering up the tender plants (some palms, succulents, cacti) that are really cold sensitive. If you don’t, they may be pushing up daisies in the morning, and I don’t mean that in a good way.
photo by villainouscompany.com
- Cover up properly: Do NOT use plastic! That will trap the air, and the next day when the sun comes out you’ve made yourself a nice little greenhouse magnifying glass that will knock your plants off quicker than a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robot. Use sheets or plant insulation material sold at nurseries.
- Clean up: The day after a freeze, go out as soon as you can the next day as the temps are warming up and remove the covers. If there’s any ice on the plants, I’d try to remove that as quickly as possible (shake or knock it off). Prune frost-damaged perennials and remove any fallen limbs from trees. The only plants I wait on to prune are the ornamental grasses, because I like the winter straw-like form of these plants. I prune them in late winter, just when you see the new green growth poking up at the bottom.
I know this weather is very unusual for us here in central Texas, but don’t let it panic you. Protect your plants that need it, clean up soon after the freeze and don’t sweat the small stuff. Freezing temps, ice and snow never last for too long in Texas. Now, if we could only say the same thing for the 104 blistering heat and earth-baking drought in the summertime. Sigh.
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Heh. Everyone in CA is freaking out because we’re supposed to get a “crazy” storm tomorrow that will drop an inch of rain. I think our weather reporters get bored, so they overhype comparably uninteresting weather patterns.
I hear you. The Great ’09 Blizzard was only found at Dairy Queen. I saw 3 snowflakes on Thursday night, and that’s if I squinted my eyes. Still, the thought of it was exciting!