My Plants Look Terrible After the Freeze-What Do I Do Now?

After a freeze and resulting brown plants, gardeners may have a tendency to take some sort of action to make the plants look better. When people ask me what to do, my answer is simply, nothing. There is no way to accurately determine if that plant will return in the spring. I have seen times in my garden with identical plants next to each other where one returns, but the other does not. This is the mystery of nature and it cannot be controlled.

Recently, after a freak snowstorm along the Gulf Coast, I was happy that my herb garden was fine after the snow melted, and my pansies looked like they did before the snow. Gardening is an ongoing learning process, and I encourage every gardener or “wanna be” gardener to contact their local county extension service for guidance regarding this topic.

Before the Freeze

After the Freeze

For me, I choose to look at this as guidance that helps me prepare for spring planting. Which plants are hardy enough to take the cold weather? Where do I plant to avoid harsh north winds? Look at your yard with a compass and gauge NSEW in your area. I was struck by this phenomenon last year when I noticed the survival rates of identical plants and their mortality rates after a freeze. The plants that were directly in the path of the north wind did not survive, while those in the path of west and south winds did survive. I recorded this in my gardening journal and this year I will take that into consideration as I plan my spring garden.

There are many factors to consider when planning a garden, such as available hours of sunlight and knowing which plants will be more successful in your garden. These issues will be discussed more thoroughly as we get closer to spring planting. For now try to embrace the color brown and realize that these plants are still valuable to the pollinators looking for a meal and other wildlife that may still benefit from their existence. Check with your county extension agent regarding the predicted dates for the last freeze in your area and continue to look at those seed catalogs as you plan for spring!