Plants that Survived the Deep Freeze.

The following plants not only survived, but they are green and alive right now, after dipping down to 13 degrees.
Most of these are evergreen and all of them Texas Natives.
Of course there are many more, but these are the ones in my yard, and I thought it might be helpful to know.
Josephine.

TREES
Texas Mountain Laurel, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SOSE3
Carolina Cherry Laurel, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRCA
Yaupon Holly, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ILVO
Amarican Holly, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ILOP

SHRUBS
Cenizo, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LEFR3
Agarito, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MATR3
Damianita, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CHME3
Salvia Greggii, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SAGR4

DESERT PLANTS
Yucca Treculeana, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=YUTR
Yucca Pallida, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=YUPA
Yucca Rupicula, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=YURU
Yucca Arkansana, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=YUAR2
Red Yucca, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HEPA8
Agave Americana, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AGAM
Spineless Prickly Pear, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=OPEL3
Cholla Cactus, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CYIM2

Wildflowers
Golden Columbine, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AQCH
Red Columbine, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AQCA
Golden Groundsel, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PAOB6
Giant Coneflower, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RUMA3
Spiderwort, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=TROC
Prairie Phlox, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PHPI
Brazos Penstemon, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PETE3
White Prickly Poppy, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ARAL3
Willowleaf Aster, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SYPR5
Obedient Plant, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PHVI8
False Dragonhead, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PHDI7
White Yarrow, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ACMI2
Prairie Parsley, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PONU4
Mexican Hat, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RACO3
Heath Aster, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SYERE

VINES
Crossvine, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=BICA
Carolina Jassamine, http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=GESE

Josephine, I'm in Fort Worth. I guess the frostcloth/sheets/towels/blankets, etc. will come off tomorrow so the plants can get a little sun after this bitter cold. I have my fingers crossed for them. I'll take some notes in the coming weeks about which ones bite the dust and which ones survive. Thanks for sharing your list.
NLaw

You are welcome.
There are many more dormant plants that I am sure survived, this are the ones that are still green and were not covered at all,

Thank you for sharing that. Many of us are looking to more adaptable plants and this will be an excellent reference. It is appreciated, I intend to research some of those so thanks too for providing the links.

I have five small Hesperaloe parviflora plants that survived the temps in small pots so that is a bonus and I noticed you also had it on your list.

Yes you are welcome, I have Hesperaloe, Red yucca in pots and in ground and all were just fine.

The only thing I covered was the Kumquat (I am so hoping it survived). My Yaupons are covered with berries -- I guess my resident Mockingbird is waiting until they're "just right" -- and you'd never know we had such frigid weather by looking at them. The Salvia greggiis all look a little bit ragged but I know they'll bounce back quickly. The one plant that is still green and vibrant is the Dianthus. Just about everything else in my flowerbeds is dormant.

Carla

Thank you so very very much Josephine!! My intent today, after the housework, was to ask anyone in 8B what survived in their gardens for my planning to sadfully replace what did not survive. I'm thinking Arlington may be 8A.......but thanks because it gives me a place to start my research. As I take inventory in my gardens what looks best are: bi-color iris (my favorite), sego palms, boxwood, fig ivey, nandina, yucca (don't know what kind), crossvine and carolina jassamine. All the trees look okay. Many Mountain Laurel who all look very happy! The saddest are all the beautiful five-year-old philadendrons (they were huge). My neighbor tells me NOT to cut the philadendrons back yet. Hard to wait because they are just a pile of mush on the ground. Thanks again!

You are welcome, Sunshinegardener.

I don't have much of a report but my non-Texas native aspidistras and leatherleaf ferns survived (I think). They are on the north side of the house and get little sun. And of course, my collards, turnips and mustard greens are still green but are all too mature to eat. I'm really crossing my fingers on all the Egyptian Walking onions I planted the first of November. Most of the onions are in the ground but I planted a few in containers to really give them a test and after the temps we've had, it was a very good test. They seem to be holding their own so far. The lowest I know of here was 12 a few mornings ago. As far as traditional bulb onions, right now is planting time.

Onions tolerate cold well. They might not grow as fast with a really cold winter, but they do all right.

My mustard greens have bounced back. I'm new to two season gardening and thought they were gone. They were so prostrate and frozen, I gave them up for destroyed. This morning, they've plumped up and look vigorous. This is my type of gardening!

I'm not doing anything with my mustards and probably should turn them under. Those and the turnip greens got too sandpapery and tough after awhile. I ate all the collards though and found them the best of the three greens. I messed up and didn't thin out the turnips and they didn't make any turnips, just greens. I'll know next time.

You know, these are likely collards. They have a tangy afterbite so thought of mustards when I had lunch. This is why I need to label things! Here's a great way to enjoy the green veg.

East Texas Burrito

1 tender green leaf
Several spoonfuls of pintos
Whole grain cornbread, crumbled

Layer and roll leaf like a burrito. Repeat for supper.

Very interesting burrito, never had it that way.

All my root crops and cole crops survived13* I'm really surprised. My salad blends and other greens did fine too and are even growing, Walking onions are fine, too. I didn't lose anything that wasn't already frost bitten. I did lose a Brug and Datura before Christmas though. They were in pots but there was no mention of a freeze so they weren't even covered. I woke up and it was 30* but too late for the plants. If I had only known...
Lisa

Lisa ~ your brugs will return from roots. In fact, don't cut back the stems till you see new growth. They will surprise you but just be later blooming.

They'll come back even though their in pots?
I don't cut anything back until I'm sure its dead, I learned that the hard way. Thanks for the info.

Yes, you will find new growth from the roots and sometimes on the stems. Amazing how resilient plants can be.

Great info, as usual Josephine! Natives are the way to go.

I do see green sprouts coming up, but don't know what most of them are yet...
So far can identify Cutleaf primrose, Self heal, Wild geranium, Wooly violet, sorrell ~ of the native wildflowers.

Most everything around here is deciduous, esp. tree and shrub-wise, except a couple of varieties of Baccharis and Cedar, which all look like they survived.

I was happy & surprised to see so many of the culinary herbs (in ground) survived and are green: Marjoram, Oregano, Thyme, Lemon balm, Rosemary, sage; and of course several kinds of mint *that aren't as surprisingly hardy! I guess they were all mulched well when planted last year.

I lost Godzilla, my Aloe plant...very sad he was 8 years old in a pot. I didn't bring him in because ants had set up shop in the pot! Lost my Trailing Aloe last year because of the same reason -it didn't come back.

Sorry about your Aloes, ants can be such a problem, we are fighting fire ants tooth and nail at the butterfly gardens, it seems you get rid of a nest and it pops up a few feet down the row.

We have tried regular grits, Results which is organic, but poison nevertheless, which I don't like to use because along with the ants it also kills all the other beneficial insects in the area to which it is applied.

Also I don't like to handle poisons and I am afraid of it, it is supposed to dissipate in a short time lasting only a maximum of 48 hours, and has no residual effects, so we are doing the best we can and still remain organic.

I wouldn't mind the ants so much if they weren't in the areas where we need to work, and if they didn't attach so viciously. The fight goes on!!!

Here is a link about Pyrethrum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrethrum

Thank you for the info and link, Josephine. I haven't heard of Pyrethrum.

We have an ant mound at our bedroom door that we are literally inching-away!!

I'm all organic here too and it's always good to know any organic methods for bug control. Actually, I should have tried applying the Diatomaceous earth to the pot to see if that would have taken care of those ants... but didn't do it because I too worry I may kill a "good bug".

This year we're going to try applying granular molasses to the garden areas. Supposedly the ants will move away from the areas where it is applied...something to do with the fact that it improves the soil-ants don't like changes in the soil; and the sugars will cause their food to spoil quickly. It's worth a try, especially if the molasses enriches the soil.

I think we should be able to find granulated molasses at the COOP.

I bought some granulated molasses last year at Tractor Supply. Unfortunately I can't say if it will work well or not, it only got applied to my compost piles! Maybe I will actually use it this year.

Thanks also from me for the list. I didn't like to spend much time covering my plants up north and now that I'm here in Texas I'm finding that my tastes haven't changed in that regard. Just a few shovels full of composted manure on each of the numerous roses is enought for me!

I've been reading that the use of beneficial nematodes can be useful against fire ants. I have some on order for this spring with Gardens Alive. I think I remember a very good fire ant discussion on a previous thread and someone suggested ben/nematodes. I found more info--but not much. Guess it can't hurt to try! Has anyone else given it a shot?

I haven't tried it yet, but considering how vicious those ants are, I wouldn't be surprised if they ate the nematodes, just kidding of course, I really don't know.
I do know that they are extremely difficult to eradicate.

I have used beneficial nematodes in the past. The only problem was I think the area that they are applied to must be watered for 2 weeks. Good to time to apply with spring showers. I can say it worked for me, but I also have a small yard.

That is good to know Anna, were your ant mounds very big?
We had one that was 2 feet high, and it took a few applications to kill them.

Meant to try it last spring but had an equipment failure. So this spring is it!

No. they were much smaller. Yikes! 2 ft! I think you pour right on the mound and/or can spray the yard.

Josephine.....Was that big one at the Fielder House or the Wildscape?

At the Fielder house, it was in the round bed that has the barrel and it was as high as the barrel itself.
We had to put so many applications that we killed the Blackfoot Daisies with all the water.
Here is what the bed looked like before we messed it up.

It didn't get quite as cold here. It got down to 18 degrees at my house. I can't remember the names of most of the stuff that is still green, but I'll try.

Cassias -- some lost leaves, some didn't.
Horsetail -- wish it had frozen!
Loquat -- I think that's what it's called. It seeded from the neighbor's yard.
Yellow Flag Iris
Wax Myrtle
Rosemary -- my new favorite plant b/c thrived in drought too, covered with flowers and wintering hummer is enjoying it.
Sweet Olive
Pyracantha -- I'm not sure that these are pyracantha. There's another plant that is very similar that I can never remember the name of. The ones that I have, planted by a former owner, are green with new growth and red berries
Holly
Iron Plant
Ivy
Creeping fig
Chinese Fringe Trees
Azaleas
Camelias -- lost their buds though
Roses -- all the roses even the chinas and teas that like warmer weather are fine.

I'm determined to have a greener garden next winter too. I'm tired of covering things and dragging them indoors and looking at brown stuff for months.

We put nematodes on the yard every year and haven't had a problem with ants since we started doing it. The initial ants we had coming in our back door from the neighbor's yard. We followed the trail and treated the mound (just on the other side of the driveway!) with nematodes and we've not had a problem since! I do find them in the flower beds and veggie beds, but I usually sprinkle those with DE or dried molasses and dry garlic powder. That will usually take care of them, but sometimes it doesn't.

Josephine...that is a shame, it was a lovely display of blackfoot daisies. I remembered your mole problem was at that garden but wasn't sure about the ants. If it had been at your house I would suspect the tree mulch. I think that is where we get a lot of our pests introduced, well that and plants we buy. I try not to use the pesticides but ants and wasps are where I stop short, can't stand those buggers.

Elphaba... I can relate on wishing the horsetail had frozen. I had a stand in my pond that it's roots managed to encapsulate a huge pile of rocks before I finally cut it out. A few pieces broke off and I had it popping up in the nearby gravel walkway and flowerbeds before finally getting control of it. My husband looked it up once and said it was a plant that had been around since the dinosaurs....tough stuff.

My Anacacho Orchid Tree is fine! I was a bit worried, so checked under the bark and it's green. No such green on the Barbados Cherry, so will have to wait and see on that one. The Hop Trees, Anacua and the White Mistflower are okay also.

I planted out some Barbados cherry this fall and I hope it will survive too, too early to tell right now.

Me too...I forgot to protect it, did you?

Yes I forgot, but I do have others potted that i brought in.

I planted a tiny barbados cherry last year too. It looked OK last time I checked, but it was really tiny and close to the ground.

One of the camelias still has its buds. Whoohoo!

I had too agaves and they look totally dead. I bought them so I wouldn't have to drag them inside in winter. Very annoying!

Both of my gardenias are still green. That was a surprise.

Last fall I finally planted the barbados cherry I had in a pot for years into the ground. Good timing, eh? I'll have to wait and see whether or not it pulls through... hopefully being up against a south facing wall gave it some protection.

I'm worried about my Norfolk Pine. The tips of all the branches are brown. I can't see the top of it, so I don't know if the top is frozen, probably. I hope it lives. It's the prettiest element in the garden. It was only 3' tall when I moved in 6 yrs ago and now it's taller than the house.