How to Winterize Your Central Texas Garden

by Georgiana Wells

When planning a garden in Texas, most people have traditionally focused on native plants that can withstand the brutal summers. But as climate change worsens, more gardeners are realizing the importance of planning for cold temperatures. Anyone who lived in the San Antonio area and survived February’s snow storms knows just how bad winter can get. As the cold weather approaches, it is time to prepare the garden for winter. Deciding what to save, what to let go, and what to leave alone can be daunting. You don’t have to stress, though. This guide will help you with the decision making process so you can be more prepared for a productive spring.

What to save

First and foremost, save the plants that hold special meaning. For example, Great Grandma’s heirloom roses cannot be replaced by a new plant from the nursery, so it and other significant plants should be prioritized for safe keeping through the winter. The next category would be your most valuable plants such as citrus trees, exotic flowers, or one-of-a-kind plants. Value may be determined by replacement cost or how hard it is to find a particular specimen. After you’ve taken care of sentimental and valuable plants, if it is still possible to save more of your garden, focus on older, established plants or natives. These will have a higher survival rate than younger, non-natives that are not adapted to the potential temperature extremes. If there is still space or time, protect tender perennials and cool weather plants that will survive the rest of the season.

Wrapping in place versus bringing plants inside is a personal decision based on a number of factors. Not everyone has the space to bring their entire garden inside their home. If the area inside is not heated, care should be taken that temperatures will remain in the upper 30s at least. If this is not possible, then keeping the plants outside may be more practical. Longer, colder temperatures will be more damaging than a few hours at 30 degrees, so duration of freezing temperatures should be considered. If the forecast predicts only a short period of time at or just below freezing, protect the most delicate and prized plants. After the freeze, the others may show signs of distress, but they should recover as temperatures warm up.

Small fruit trees that are potted may be difficult to move. Some plants, such as sago palms or lilies, are toxic to pets, so caution must be taken. Planning ahead for longer, harder freezes will make the process easier. Bring inside whatever is feasible.

For those plants that must remain outside, have supplies ready. You’ll need blankets, cardboard boxes, and LED or holiday lights, which can all be recycled or repurposed after using. Before wrapping, water each plant heavily. Try to avoid putting blankets directly on plants, especially if precipitation is expected. The weight of a frozen blanket can snap branches or trunks and the ice will cause more damage if directly touching leaves or stems. Instead, try to put a box over the plant to trap warmer air and then cover the box with a blanket. If possible, put a strand of holiday lights or a shop light inside the box to add warmth.

Once temperatures are closer to 40 degrees, bring potted plants back outside and uncover wrapped items. If possible, avoid trimming back any damaged areas until springtime. Many years have multiple freezes, so it is best to wait until the full extent of the damage is known.

What to let go

If it is not possible to protect the entire garden, then you will have some difficult choices ahead. Letting go can be hard. Because much effort and care goes into the wellbeing of our plants, seeing one die can be heartbreaking. During a freeze, not everything can or should be saved. Annuals, which survive only one season, should be allowed to go through their natural life cycle. This includes vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes and eggplant, summer herbs like basil and lemongrass, and warm weather flowers like zinnias. If you have not already pulled them, do so before a freeze or compost them afterward. Cool weather vegetables like broccoli, kale, or beets will tolerate a light freeze. If a hard, extended cold period is predicted, harvest as much as possible and cover the rest. Vegetable varieties are chosen to withstand warmer winters and even cold hardy vegetables like kale may not make it through a deep cold period.

Heat loving perennials should be allowed to die back during a freeze. Routine fall garden maintenance should include trimming away the green stems and spent flowers so they can regrow in spring. If this hasn’t been done yet, then let the plant go through the freeze as is. After all danger of frost has passed, cut back any damaged areas and allow them to reboot. It may also be a good time to think about long term landscape design. If you were going to make major changes in your yard’s layout, then a freeze may be a great time to allow nature to wipe the slate clean. In this case, no preparation is needed. What to leave alone

Some plants will be able to withstand a hard freeze without any intervention or will simply fare better left in place. Healthy, established trees and shrubs are resilient. Plants that are normally dormant in winter such as Esperanza or Pride of Barbados can be left uncovered and cut back to rebloom in spring. Natives are also more adapted to temperature variations than exotics and require limited attention.

Hopefully, San Antonio will never experience another February freeze like 2021, but climate change means more extreme storms and temperature variations. While plants should be selected more for their heat tolerance, cold hardiness should also be considered. Winter is a key part of the garden’s life cycle. Preparations can be made to soften the harshest cold so your garden will survive the winter and thrive again in spring.