“Out with the old, in with the new, may you be happy the whole year through” is a popular saying at this time of year and might be great for certain areas of our home or life, but it does not apply to the garden and landscape.
Do not get rid of the ‘old’ plants right now that might look like they died in the freeze. It is best to leave plants alone after a freeze (unless they are mushy). Also, let the old leaves and other dry plant material stay on the ground, they will help to insulate the soil to hold in heat and moisture. In addition, they add nutrients and organic matter as they break down, feeding the soil micro-organisms and the plants, and improving the soil. Birds and other wildlife will appreciate still having places to perch, rest, find crawly things (which are likely living in the dried leaves) to eat and have a least a little shelter, even if leaves are dead or have fallen off.
If you covered any plants to protect them, be sure to take the covering off during the day if temperatures are above 32 degrees, and as soon as the danger of frost has passed.
There is no need to be in a hurry to trim your plants except for ones that have turned mushy. Plant tissue that is mushy provides an opening for pathogens to enter, so remove mushy plants or plant parts within a couple of weeks. Cut back to where the stem is firm. Be sure to dip your pruners in rubbing alcohol for 30 seconds between cuts to keep from spreading potential pathogens to other plants or plant parts.
Cold temperatures can damage the entire plant, or parts such as leaves, buds, flowers, trunks, stems or roots. Some plants will not be affected by the wintry weather, others will die back to the ground, but their roots will survive and they will regrow in the spring (these plants are “root hardy”), others will be lost to a hard freeze.
Do not prune off the plant parts that appear dead, they may still be alive and put out new buds and leaves in the spring, and in some cases, they may protect other parts of the plant. Be patient, wait at least until February to prune off woody branches that you think are dead. There is no reason to rush anyway as it does not help the plant to prune off dead wood at this point. When things warm up and new buds form and develop into leaves, it will become obvious where to make pruning cuts to remove dead sections. It will not hurt the plant to cut it earlier, but you might cut back branches that are still alive, or you might not cut enough, and will need to prune again in a few weeks.
However, if you had already planned to prune plants, there is no need to wait. This is a good time to prune shrubs and trees to control their size or to shape them. Turk’s cap, cenizo, esperanza, firebush, ornamental grasses, and many other plants can be pruned lightly or heavily. It is possible that you will need to do a little more pruning when new growth appears if some branches did not survive.
Do not prune redbud, azalea, Mexican buckeye, or any other early spring-bloomers, or you will remove the potential flower buds. Wait until they finish flowering to prune them. Prune oak trees now and until February 1; remember, do not prune oaks between February 1 and July 1 due to the threat of oak wilt.
Never prune any palm fronds that are even partially green (because they can photosynthesize, and palms need all the photosynthetic capacity they can get). Also, never prune fronds that are “standing up,” since they can protect the crown from high winds.
Amazingly, my ponytail “palm” which died back to the ground from winter storm Uri two years ago, just put up a sprout a week ago! So, you just never know what Mother Nature has up her sleeve. By the way, ponytail palms (Beaucarnea recurvata) are not really palms and are in a completely plant family.
Look around and see what plants are still looking good after the freeze – most of them will be natives. Keep them in mind when purchasing new plants for your yard. Native plants require less care-whether it is hot or cold-and provide many other benefits.