Don’t rush to cut back, discard freeze-damaged plants

  • Wait at least one week before pulling up and discarding any cool-season bedding plants that have incurred freeze damage. Dianthus, for example, may look somewhat melted and unusually dark green right after a freeze, but they often can bounce back.
    Wait at least one week before pulling up and discarding any cool-season bedding plants that have incurred freeze damage. Dianthus, for example, may look somewhat melted and unusually dark green right after a freeze, but they often can bounce back.
  • Root-hardy tropical plants like this ginger look rough after a freeze but will typically regrow from their roots in the spring. To clean these plants up now, remove all frozen leaves and up to one-third of their stalks.
    Root-hardy tropical plants like this ginger look rough after a freeze but will typically regrow from their roots in the spring. To clean these plants up now, remove all frozen leaves and up to one-third of their stalks.
    Bitterly cold weather has settled in across Louisiana and much of the country. If you woke up Monday morning to discover frozen, limp plants outside your window, you might be tempted to trim them or simply discard them to tidy up the garden.But that’s not the best idea in many cases, said LSU AgCenter horticulturist Jason Stagg.“Plant leaves can appear burned or mushy from fre...

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