Don't Prune Your Freeze Damaged Plants...Yet!

I am sure you did your best to protect your plants from the weeklong overnight freezes we just experienced in Northern California....and even with covering them and/or watering them, some may be looking pretty sad, damaged or dead. I have a beautiful red Bouganvia and a super beautiful, double-white Angel's Trumpet that aren't looking too good right now!  But, before I cut them back, I called my garden center and they told me to hold on and not cut anything back yet!  

For many garderners, our first reaction is to get out there,cut-off and prune back any obviously damaged parts of the plant. But the word from the experts is not to. They also recommend that you tell your gardener/yard maintenance people not to cut them back either.  With it being early winter, we could actually have more freezing nights and the damaged plant portions actually protect the unaffected parts of the plant.  If damaged portions of the plant are removed,we then expose the healthy tissues to the next frost or freeze.   

My favorite garden center told me that many of the plants that were damaged will come back--they said to watch for new growth that will appear from the base or sprout from unaffected branches in the spring (the exception is warm weather annuals--they will not come back, so go ahead and pull them out)

The best thing you can do for all of your garden plants now is to keep them watered until the rains come....and hopefully the rains are coming! For now, I set my sprinkler system to come on during the warmest part of the day for about 5-6 minutes per station, a couple times a week. 

If you have more questions, it is always best to consult your local garden center as they really know the local conditions.

Even with the unusual weather we just experienced, we live in a great area!  If you are thinking of moving here and need some housing help, reach out to me..I'd love to assist you!

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• Pam Theroux