Q: Everything froze. When can I cut plants back?
A: Not yet. Last year, the last freezes at my house were February 19 through February 22 (with the temperature getting down to 21 on February 20). If you cut now, warmer weather will cause plants to sprout and those new sprouts are very tender. If the plants are dead, then you can clean up. A good site on pruning is www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/landscape/proper-pruning-techniques. However, my Chrome with Bing would not let me in. I had to go to Google and go in that way. It is a multi-page article with plenty of good information. Don’t forget that spring-flowering shrubs and trees bloom on last season’s growth and shouldn’t be pruned until after they bloom. Examples include redbud and Texas mountain laurel.
Q: What are a few helpful suggestions that you would give for the new gardener in Central Texas?
A: First, I would have you buy a journal that you can use just for gardening. Write down the names of the plants you buy and the dates they were planted. List the first freeze each year and the last freeze. Keep track of rainfall, the dates you fertilized, as well as the amount and the analysis. My next suggestion is to look at your neighbors’ yards to see what plants grow well. I would not buy out of an out-of-state catalog because Texas growing is unique; also, I like the hands-on experience that a local nursery gives you. Visit your local Extension office and check in with the Master Gardeners. Wonderful informative programs are available. For instance, at the last Lunch and Learn, Extension Agent Travis Franke spoke on Tree Management and Care. I wish I had heard his talk before I wasted all that money on some of those fruit trees I bought over the years.
Q: I am planning what to plant in my beds for the spring and summer. What annuals do you suggest?
A: For now I would stick to the cool-season annuals that you can find at your local nursery. Looking at last year’s February and March temperatures in my journal I see that it got down to 37 degrees March 10, and in the 40s the following week. Unless you are very brave, I would wait until the end of March to put in my summer annuals. (In fact, for the library planters, I wait until the snapdragons and the kale start to look bad before I replace them).
Warm season annuals include amaranthus, bachelor buttons (gomphrena), begonia, cockscomb, coleus, copper plant, cosmos, geranium, impatiens, marigold, Mexican heather, morning glory, petunia, portulaca, purslane, salvia, sunflower, verbena, and zinnia. My personal favorite is the vinca (periwinkle) because it gives no trouble and seems resistant to disease. My only trouble with it in the library planters are the ants who are attracted to the water during our hot summers.
Clara Mae Marcotte is a Texas Master Gardener with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. If you have a question to be answered, call the Master Gardeners at 830-379-1972 or leave a message to be answered. The website is guadalupecountymastergardeners.org. The Master Gardener research library is open Wednesdays from 2 to 4, at 210 East Live Oak Street in Seguin.
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