Be patient when it comes to dealing with freeze-damaged plants

  • Leave as much stem as possible when pruning back freeze-damaged tropical plants like this ginger. Try to remove only about one-third of the height of the plant. You also can remove frozen leaves.
    Leave as much stem as possible when pruning back freeze-damaged tropical plants like this ginger. Try to remove only about one-third of the height of the plant. You also can remove frozen leaves.
  • Use a knife or pruners to scrape the stem of a plant to determine if it’s still alive. If you can see green, you’re in luck.
    Use a knife or pruners to scrape the stem of a plant to determine if it’s still alive. If you can see green, you’re in luck.
  • Cool-season annuals such as dianthus often turn dark green and have a melted appearance after a deep freeze.
    Cool-season annuals such as dianthus often turn dark green and have a melted appearance after a deep freeze.
    The snow has come and gone — and so has the excitement that came with such a meteorological rarity in Louisiana. Now, some gardeners are looking outside at a far less enjoyable sight: plants that turned gray, brown and perhaps even mushy in this week’s frigid temperatures.Tropical and subtropical plants were especially affected by the bitterly cold air that hit the state. Damage may ...

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