The Aftermath
Posted: January 29, 2024 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Gulf Coast gardening, hard freeze, Year-round gardening 10 Comments
Maybe I’m being a bit dramatic, but it is hard to see my plants and all my hard work gone.
These are the plants from the post I did before the freeze.
I know most of them will be back, but it will take time.
And now some good news. A couple of baby plants were sheltered and are still alive.
These winter annuals sure can take the cold but will be gone when the heat starts.
Among the frozen plants, the promise of spring is emerging.
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Is such damage not normal? It looks no worse than what we get here, and this is a mild climate. I prefer roses to be completely defoliated when I dormant prune them. Likewise, I prefer Canna to be frosted and dormant when I cut them to the ground. They are sloppier where they do not get frosted or completely cut down in the Los Angeles region.
We are at the mercy of cold air from Canada, so there are many years that we don’t have a freeze. My cannas are mush. I don’t know what kind they are, but I know they will be back. My gingers always seem to make it too.
I have never known a Canna to be damaged by frost. I have seen some in the Los Angeles region, that do not die back at all. They look sloppy because new growth comes up amongst the old. I am impressed by a gardener who either cuts tham down completely at the end of winter, or grooms out old growth as new growth develops. The second option must be tedious!
It good that you can count on regeneration… you go from fall frost to spring sprouts with no long, cold winter in-between!
Judy, it’s heartbreaking for sure. Glad so many will restore themselves. Those pansies look good. I bought some and never even got them planted. Take care.
It will be so good to see the plants refresh and restore. The inbetween time is rough!
Ah, the stalwart pansies. I love those guys. It’s disheartening to see melted flowers but they will bounce back and your bulbs will be better for the cold.
Everything will come back and I am in the process of cutting the garden back. I did about 6 bushels yesterday. My compost bin is full.
That always feels good to me the clearing out.
Yes, it will all come back, as you know. It does suck when things look to be doing so well over winter and *bam* we get these deep freezes. I suspect they are our new normal, zone changes be damned.