Property owners and gardeners should practice patience when it comes to the eyesore of freeze-damaged plants, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife expert.
Michael Arnold, director of The Gardens at Texas A&M University and professor of landscape horticulture in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Bryan-College Station, said warmer weather may have gardeners itching to prune back dead leaves and plant material following the hard freeze, but they should resist the urge.
The hard freeze occurred early in the winter, but depending on the location in the state, as much as two months of potential frost remain, he said.
“There is a tendency to spruce things up, but if we do that too quickly, we can predispose the plants to more freeze damage,” he said. “My advice is to be patient and learn to live with ugly.”
Read more at: Texas A&M University
Freeze-damaged Brussels sprouts in The Gardens at Texas A&M University. (Photo Credit: Courtney Sacco/Texas A&M AgriLife Communications)