Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Dead or just its defense mechanism, 1 by vossner

vossner wrote:
The photo shows the trunk on one of my Paula's Pink plumies. It is planted outdoors and has managed to survive well during our mild winters. A week ago we had below freezings temps for a few hours and now I notice this ooze seeping out of branches and trunk. It this a defense mechanism or is my plumie beginning to die slowly. Some small branches are mushy so unquestionably dead but the trunk and the larger branches are quite firm. Has this happened to you? if yes, did plumies survive?

I have a number of PP plumies planted inground b/c I know the hybridizer has one planted inground and trunk is 4" thick. She also gardens in z9a. I have another large Paula plumie that is surrounded by philo selloum and that one was not damaged at all. Looks like philo provided adequate shelter.