While North Texas isn’t necessarily known for snowy winters, frost frequently comes through and can damage plants. It’s important to protect them so that they’ll stay alive, and thrive, through the next year.
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North Texas weather is volatile: A breezy, cool-but-not-cold day can quickly turn into a frigid winter scene when a cold snap comes through. And if you’re worried about all the plants in your yard, and whether they’ll survive a freeze, it can feel like you’re constantly scrambling to cover them – and uncover them – all winter long.
Prepping your garden for a freeze starts long before temperatures drop to 32 degrees. In fact, the best way to winterproof your garden is to buy cold-tolerant plants in the first place, because North Texas sees plenty of cold weather each year. “You want to make sure that you’re planting for your zone,” says Jennifer Hatalski, a Texas Certified Nursery Professional with Calloway’s Nursery, noting that D-FW falls into zone 8. When shopping for plants anytime, note whether they’re appropriate for your zone, so they’ll survive both extreme heat and frigid cold.
But that information isn’t super helpful if you inherited a thriving garden or recently filled it up with new plants. Before you run out and cover everything in frost cloth just in case, learn what Hatalski and Megan Proska, associate vice president of horticulture and collections at The Dallas Arboretum, say it takes to keep your plants alive in winter. You might be surprised by how simple the steps are.
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Mulch everything
Two or 3 inches of mulch is every garden expert’s solution for keeping plants alive through extreme temperatures, hot or cold. “People think about mulch as something that gives your flower beds a finishing touch and makes everything look clean and finished and really nice, but there’s actually a lot of health benefits for your plants,” says Hatalski. A layer of mulch locks in moisture around plants, insulates the roots, and can help regulate soil temperature, so plants are less susceptible to drastic temperature changes.
A 2-3-inch layer of mulch can protect plants in the winter.
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Water deeply before a freeze
The best thing you can do for any plant in your garden is to water it deeply ahead of a freeze. Water acts as an insulator, says Hatalski, noting that when water freezes around the roots of a plant at 32 degrees, it prevents the roots from becoming any colder than that.
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Timing doesn’t matter, as long as you get the task done – and do it properly. Water at the base of the plant, not the leaves, says Proska. If water gets on the leaves, it may not have time to dry before the freeze comes through, and you’ll get frost on the plants, which is the very thing you want to avoid.
Know what needs to be covered, and when
Hatalski says Matrix pansies can offer color in the winter and will bounce back after a freeze.
Courtesy Calloway’s Nursery
“You really only have to cover if we’re getting down to 32 degrees,” says Hatalski. And, even then, if the temperature briefly dips down to freezing overnight and then comes up to the 50s or 60s the next day, you probably don’t need to cover your plants. Do cover them, though, if temps are expected to stay below 32 degrees longer than three or four hours.
Contrary to popular belief, not everything in your garden needs to be covered (especially if you’re planting for your zone). Larger shrubs, like azaleas, boxwoods, osmanthus and hollies should be able to ride out the winter, says Proska. “If it is really cold, we’ll get a little bit of die-back, and then they’ll flush back out in the spring,” she adds.
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For those plants, Proska and her team leave them alone until spring temperatures start to warm; then they assess the damage. “The best thing to do with those is wait.” Don’t panic when winter comes through or frantically chop off seemingly dead portions; wait until the spring to see how the plant looks.
There are exceptions, though, even if the plant is cold hardy and appropriate for the zone. “If you’ve planted [something] in the last six to 12 weeks, you’re going to want to cover it anyways, because the roots haven’t had a chance to get established,” says Hatalski.
Certain popular varieties in North Texas, like newly planted roses or actively growing roses, hibiscus, esperanza (yellow bells), lantana, cyclamen and tropical plants like majesty and sago palms, should always be covered.
At the Arboretum, Proska says they don’t worry about covering most vine plants, with the exception of star jasmine, because it’s slightly less cold hardy.
Colorful annuals planted in the summer or fall will die off in the cold. Knowing this, Hatalski says it’s not worth the trouble of covering them. “If you’re looking for color that will continue to look great over the winter season, I would go ahead and plant Matrix pansies,” says Hatalski.
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Move tropical plants to your garage
North Texas is not a tropical location (though our humid summers sometimes feel that way). So it makes sense that tropical plants need a little extra care during the winter. For all the potted tropical varieties at the Arboretum, Proska and her team roll them across the property to be kept in a greenhouse.
If you don’t have a greenhouse, your garage will work just fine for potted tropicals like hibiscus, bougainvillea, esperanza, citrus trees and similar plants. The benefit of keeping these plants in pots is that you can (somewhat) easily move them in when it gets cold out.
For tropicals planted in the ground, Proska cuts them back. “[We’ll] usually wait until there is a freeze; we won’t cover them,” she says. “We’ll let them freeze, and then they’ll start to kind of turn into mush [as they thaw], and then we’ll cut them and cover them in mulch.” Some should come back the next year, like cannas, elephant ears and bananas, she says, but it depends on the plant.
With the plants that you do cover in the winter, it’s important to remember to uncover them once temperatures rise, so they don’t bake in the sun.
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If temps are dropping only for a few hours and will rebound the next day, make sure to bring your tropical plants back outside so they can get sunlight and air. If they must stay in the garage for the long term, consider purchasing grow lights if the garage is dark. Hatalski also says watering should be reduced if the plants are kept in the garage for weeks. Remember: Few plants will thrive in extended darkness.
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Trust your gut on your garage, too: If it seems too cold for you, it’s probably too cold for your plants. Some attached and insulated garages will keep your plants warm enough for them to live comfortably, but detached garages may not provide enough protection. You’re better off bringing those tropicals inside, in that case.
Cover (and uncover) properly
When cold temperatures come through, many people panic and grab available resources – like garbage bags – to cover their plants, says Hatalski. “That’s probably about one of the worst things you can do,” she says, because plastic doesn’t let plants breathe. Opt instead for breathable fabrics. You can buy frost cloth at most garden centers or home repair stores, but an old bedsheet will work fine, too.
You don’t need any special technique; just drape the cloth over the plants like a blanket and secure it to the ground. Bricks work well; garden centers sell reusable anchor pins, which work better. “Try and keep it as closed as possible,” says Proska. “You’re basically trying to stop a frost from collecting on the leaves. But if the wind does get under there, you can also get kind of a wind chill burn. You’re wanting to just really kind of pocket it in completely.”
For taller plants that might be crushed by the weight of a cloth, Proska uses bamboo stakes and empty containers turned upside down to create a frame over the plant, and then drapes the cloth over that, securing it to the ground.
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Once the weather warms up – and it surely will – it’s important to uncover your plants so they can get sunlight and breathe. If temperatures hover around or below freezing at night but warm up during the day, keep your plants covered. But once it’s consistently above freezing, it’s safe to uncover. “We usually uncover everything if we’re seeing the night temps are not reaching below 45 to 40 degrees,” says Proska. “We’ll uncover, usually water it if it needs water, and then if we see another freeze coming, we’ll re-cover.”
“You don’t want to leave your frost protection blankets on too long on a sunny day,” says Hatalski. You don’t want to cook your plants.
In North Texas, our varied winter temperatures mean that you’ll probably have to uncover and re-cover your plants a few times throughout the season. As tedious as the work may seem, it’s less work and money than replacing plants year after year.
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