Yards and plants postfreeze (Houston, Austin: to live, shopping center, move)

[Htown2013]

Originally Posted by oceangaia

In other words, forget about winning Yard of the Month in 2021.

Indeed. Walked around today and saw many subtropical plants that showed no signs of life 2 weeks ago are showing signs of bouncing back. You need to look hard, but don't give up on these yet.

Even Mexican Fan Palms with crown collapse that looked gone, some of the shorter ones where I could better see the crown, I could see an inch of pale green FINALLY at the inner crown, which is a very good sign. That small sliver of green may not be visible for taller ones for another few months.

[jerbear30]

Was thinking about what to do with the flowerbeds in front of our house. How does cactus do in Houston? Any recommendations on large cactus varieties that might grow well in Houston (and that flower)?

[TallGreengrass]

Originally Posted by jerbear30

Was thinking about what to do with the flowerbeds in front of our house. How does cactus do in Houston? Any recommendations on large cactus varieties that might grow well in Houston (and that flower)?

Yes, large cactus can grow here in the right conditions. We had one that that grew kinda fast and tall, like 6ft tall and was a vibrant green, might have been thornless even. It was a type of prickly pear. We had a housekeeper who ate the pads and fruit. We had another kind that grew lower to the ground and was not so bright and has a tendency to take over. Sharp spines and clusters of short spines. We encouraged the demise of that one.

[SanJac]

Update:

It’s May 3rd and my citrus tree does not look like it is coming back. I will give it 2 more weeks and then I’m going to yank it out. After the latest rain it developed some sort of white fungus at the base. Nothing about that tree indicates it’s still alive.

My bougainvilleas also still are not showing any signs of life but I will wait a bit longer on those.

On the positive side my gardenia is making a comeback.

Then there is this beautiful tree that is not showing any signs of life either. In the picture it was a young tree but later grew to about 8 feet tall with woody stems and beautiful magenta flowers. I thought it was a Texas Hibiscus but I can’t find any verification. Does anyone know what this plant is? Thanks!

[WRM20]

I am very happy that my philodendron is coming back. It went form full leafy green to a pile of brown, but now has 4 leaves getting bigger by the day.

[mingna]

SanJac: Beautiful magenta hibiscus bloom. Plant looks very healthy.

Good news on the philodendron. I trimmed the big pile of mush that was my giant potted philodendron to the base, but no signs of growth yet. Was thinking of removing it, but maybe I’ll wait some more.


My established, 15 ft. tall Japanese Blueberry tree still looks completely dead. Not sure why, when I see the shrub version making a steady comeback on walks around the neighborhood.

Thought I had lost all three of my citrus, 2 grown in-ground and the other in a pot, so went out and bought another one. But now all three look to be reviving, and the one in the pot has even developed a few fruit buds. The others I cut to within a foot of the base, and they are now developing tender offshoots, but no blooms. But they’re alive.

[kreeyax]

Originally Posted by mingna

SanJac: Beautiful magenta hibiscus bloom. Plant looks very healthy.

Good news on the philodendron. I trimmed the big pile of mush that was my giant potted philodendron to the base, but no signs of growth yet. Was thinking of removing it, but maybe I’ll wait some more.


My established, 15 ft. tall Japanese Blueberry tree still looks completely dead. Not sure why, when I see the shrub version making a steady comeback on walks around the neighborhood.

Thought I had lost all three of my citrus, 2 grown in-ground and the other in a pot, so went out and bought another one. But now all three look to be reviving, and the one in the pot has even developed a few fruit buds. The others I cut to within a foot of the base, and they are now developing tender offshoots, but no blooms. But they’re alive.

I have an 11 year old Japanese Blueberry that's probably as tall as yours, maybe a bit taller. It's sprouting leaves out of the main trunk but the rest of it looks dead. I'm going to cut it way back to only the thickest main branches this weekend, sort of like how you'd murder a crepe myrtle. Hopefully that will promote more growth but we'll see.

[Weatherguy]

I'm in Austin, and am curious about whether your Sago palms have shown any sign of life. None of thousands here look alive. They've pretty much been trimmed back, and we're awaiting new fronds. I'm probably going to plant some new ones just in case.


Up here, nearly 100 percent of Arizona ash did not survive. We have some 80s neighborhoods that were planted exclusively with Arizona ash, and those neighborhoods will have to start all over with tree planting.


We've also lost some mature live oaks and red oaks, but most survived.



I had hope the rampant Asian jasmine would not come back, but unfortunately it has.


We probably have bigger losses here because it was colder, but I've been interested in Houston's experience because you have such beautiful vegetation.

[mingna]

Originally Posted by Weatherguy

I'm in Austin, and am curious about whether your Sago palms have shown any sign of life. None of thousands here look alive. They've pretty much been trimmed back, and we're awaiting new fronds. I'm probably going to plant some new ones just in case.


Up here, nearly 100 percent of Arizona ash did not survive. We have some 80s neighborhoods that were planted exclusively with Arizona ash, and those neighborhoods will have to start all over with tree planting.


We've also lost some mature live oaks and red oaks, but most survived.



I had hope the rampant Asian jasmine would not come back, but unfortunately it has.


We probably have bigger losses here because it was colder, but I've been interested in Houston's experience because you have such beautiful vegetation.

It sounds like your area sustained more damage.

I’ve seen a few Sago recovering in the southern portions of Houston, with just emerging new fronds. It’s hit or miss depending on location. None of my two have yet to show life, despite being trimmed and in a sheltered location. I think the upcoming sustained heat will spur more along. I’m going to give them a full year before throwing in the towel.

My climbing jasmines have not only recovered, but are growing and blooming more vigorously than ever. My theory is the cold snap here killed latent plant pathogens and competitors, as well as served as a beneficial cold reset for certain plants such as lilies.

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by mingna

None of my two have yet to show life, despite being trimmed and in a sheltered location.

I'm between Houston and Galveston and none of my segos have shown any signs of life either. My 4-5 large palms in the front yard look fantastic and came through seemingly untouched by the freeze. 2 Mexican palms we planted in the back about 4 years ago have come roaring back and are growing quickly.

Looks like I lost all my bottlebrush, which is a shame. They were planted alongside our neighbor's house and provided a lot of privacy for both of us. Some look like green limbs are growing back, so we haven't pulled them yet.