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Which Would You Prefer? Poodled or Natural?

AZ Plant Lady, Trees

Anyone who has spent any time with me in the garden, soon learns how much I dislike formal pruning of flowering shrubs and desert trees.  In the plant industry, we sometimes refer to this type of pruning as ‘poodle pruning’ because of the over abundance of round-shaped trees and shrubs.

I spend a lot of time with clients, teaching them how to properly prune their trees and shrubs and most of the time it does not involve the use of a hedge trimmer.  

I recommend throwing away your hedge trimmers if you are tempted to use them on your native, desert plants and use only loppers and hand pruners 😉

Over ten years ago, the community where I was working asked me to do a consultation for the local church.  Part of the consultation involved going over the current maintenance practices.  This church had a Texas Ebony tree (Ebenopsis ebano) that had not been pruned correctly.  In fact, there were signs that the infamous hedge trimmers had been hard at work…..

Poodled or Natural

Now you may not think that this Texas Ebony tree looks all this bad.  There may even be some of you who think that most trees should be maintained this way.

Well the reasons for not pruning your trees this way are many:

– Repeated shearing blocks the sunlight from reaching the interior branches, causing their eventual death which leaves large dead areas which are unattractive.

– This same type of pruning actually increases the maintenance required, because each time you prune, the tree works hard to replace the leaves lost.  Remember, it is the leaves that make the food for the tree.

– This extra growth also requires the tree to take more water, which is already a precious resource here in the Southwest.

Now if those reasons do not convince you, please look at the photo below of the same tree, which is now being maintained as I had recommended….

Poodled or Natural

You know what?  It is so incredibly rewarding to revisit a landscape when those in charge have implemented some of my suggestions.  Sadly, that doesn’t always happen 😉

Doesn’t this Texas Ebony look beautiful?

Now, a yearly pruning using a lopper or pruning saw is all this tree requires instead of multiple visits using a hedge trimmer.

Prune any dead and/or crossing branches and any over-reaching side branches as desired.  Raise the tree canopy gradually until you reach the desired height above the ground.

Texas Ebony is a slow-growing tree with beautiful, dark green leaves.  It does have thorns, so be sure to wear gloves and keep away from high traffic areas.  Brown seed pods appear later in the year.

If the photos above have not convinced you not to prune your Texas Ebony into a ‘ball’, are some other examples of others that have been pruned to accentuate their natural shape…

Poodled or Natural
Poodled or Natural

So, which one would you rather have in your garden?

Poodled or Natural
Poodled or Natural

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I would like to thank you all for your nice comments about my new Southwest blog at BirdsandBloomsblog.com

Here is a related post about formal pruning that you can read if you like:

Flowering Shrubs Aren’t Meant to be Cupcakes, Poodles or Frisbees

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Are You Ready?

AZ Plant Lady

I spent last week visiting with a client who was worried that he had lost 80% of his plants to the hard freeze that we had experienced earlier this winter.

I must admit that there was more brown then green in his garden, like the majority of homeowners in our area.  Countless homeowners are anxiously waiting until it is time to start pruning back their frost-damaged shrubs and perennials (myself included).

Personally, I can’t wait to prune back my Bush Lantana, which is not only ugly, but acts like a magnet for trash on a windy day.

Crispy-looking plants

Crispy-looking plants

Drive through any neighborhood in the Phoenix metro area and you will see a lot of brown, crispy-looking plants.

Dwarf Oleander…….

Crispy-looking plants

Bougainvillea….

Crispy-looking plants

Natal Plum….

Crispy-looking plants

I think that I will stop here with showing photos of brown, crispy plants because it is getting a bit depressing.

Okay, so here is the big question that I am being asked a lot lately.

“When can I start pruning back this ugly brown stuff?”

The answer is that you can start once the last average date for frost has passed for your area.

Where I live, in the Phoenix metro area, this is usually the beginning of March.

Soon you will see scores of homeowners digging out their loppers and hand pruners and joyfully start pruning off the ‘brown stuff’ off of their plants.

So, this leads to the next question,

“How can I tell if my plants are even alive?”

Well, this is usually quite easy to figure out.  Remember the client who thought that they had lost 80% of his plants to the hard freeze?  Well, after looking at all of his plants, I only discovered 3 young  lantana that probably did not make it.

This is what I do to tell if a plant is still alive:

Go towards the base of the plant and bend the stems/branches.  If they snap off easily, then that part of the plant is dead.  However, if the stem/branch is flexible and ‘bendy’ then there is live tissue inside.  Even if the branch/stem does break off, look to see if there is live growth inside.    

Below, is a photo of a frost-damaged Bush Lantana that I broke off a small stem off of to see if there was live tissue inside.

Crispy-looking plants

If you look carefully, you can see the light-green interior of the branch.  So, this Lantana will recover, but should have all frost-damaged growth removed.

Another clue to look for to be able to tell if your plants are still alive is to look underneath, towards the bottom.  Below, is a photo of a severely frost-damaged Dwarf Oleander that has green leaves underneath.  So, it will recover from the frost-damage.

frost damage

Okay, now for our last question,

“How do I know how much to prune off of my frost-damaged plants?”

The simple answer is that you prune back to where you see new leaves emerging OR where the branches have live tissue inside.

frost damage

This Bougainvillea branch (above) has suffered frost damage.  However, look closely.  Can you see the change in color in the branch, from the left side to the right side?

The brown-colored part of the branch on the left side is dead, while the green-color on the right side of the branch indicates that that part is alive.  So, prune where the live part of the branch begins at the closest leaf bud.

If you wait a few weeks and let your frost-damaged plants have a chance to leaf out, that is an even easier way to tell what parts of your plants are alive and what parts are not.

Want more information on how to prune back frost-damaged plants?  Check out “Spring Cleaning In The Garden”.  

**************************

Well, the day of my ‘big announcement’ is almost here!  

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A Lesser-Known Honeysuckle….

AZ Plant Lady

I can think of quite a few different plants that have the word “honeysuckle” listed as part of their common name.

I am very excited to share this particular plant with you because of one trait that is sometimes hard to find in many desert-adapted plants.

What is this trait?

Well, it thrives in filtered shade.  Now for many of you, this may not mean much.  But believe it or not, it can be hard to find plants that will do well in the shade in the desert.

Mexican Honeysuckle

I would like to introduce you to Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera).

Isn’t it beautiful?

I especially like how the bright orange flowers contrast so nicely with the light green foliage.

Mexican Honeysuckle is native to Mexico, and down through South America.

Besides being beautiful, they have quite a few wonderful characteristics that will make you sure to include some in your garden.

Long bloom period

Year-round in warmer climates

Low maintenance

Little pruning is needed and can be done in December Fertilize only if needed (can suffer from iron chlorosis), but I have not needed to fertilize them.

Attracts hummingbirds

Hardy to zone 8

Can thrive in filtered, but not heavy shade.

In the low desert, Mexican Honeysuckle does best when it receives filtered shade in the afternoon.  In other areas, you can plant it in full sun.

Drought tolerant, but does require supplemental water.

They are not fragrant, but beautiful, just the same.

I had quite a few Mexican Honeysuckle planted behind a country clubhouse in an area with bright shade.  We rarely had to prune or fertilize ours.

Mexican Honeysuckle

They do very well when planted underneath a tree that provides filtered, but not heavy shade.  Mesquite and Palo Verde trees look great with Mexican Honeysuckle planted underneath.

I also like how they look when paired with a dark green agave such as Agave lophantha and Purple Trailing Lantana (Lantana montevidensis).

I hope you decide to try this beautiful lesser-know Honeysuckle.

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On another note, I am almost ready to reveal my ‘special announcement’.

I will give you hint though…..

I have been busy writing quite a bit lately and not just for my personal blog.

No, I am not writing a book, but may someday 😉

I hope you all have a great week!  

An Imaginary Land With Real Plants

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What to do With a Dirty Chicken? Give it a Bath…..

AZ Plant Lady

I was planning on continuing my series of posts of “Lesser Known Plants for the Garden” today…..that is until I saw my sister’s latest blog post.

Now for those of you who may not be familiar with my youngest sister; she is a resident of Double S Farms where she lives with her family and my mother.  They are just a 5 minute drive from my house.


Last year, my sister decided to start raising chickens.  She took some classes and built a chicken coop with her husband’s help.  Then the chicks arrived in the mail…..they were absolutely adorable.

Start raising chickens

Start raising chickens

Since then, we have been witness to their antics….

Start raising chickens

They love eating food that drops from the kid’s dinner plates.  In this case macaroni and cheese.

Start raising chickens

 Trying to find some vegetables to eat….

And grateful recipients of their eggs…..

Start raising chickens

For those of you who have raised chickens, you know that sometimes they get dirty (you know where), and that can cause their eggs to also be dirty when they are laid.

Well, this was happening to my sister’s chicken, Flo.  And so something had to be done to solve Flo’s dirty problem.

Well, I learned something this week.

Did you know that you can give a chicken a bath?

Give it a Bath

I have mentioned before that my sister is somewhat of a trendsetter. Just look at her gloves…..aren’t they so cute?

There was no way around it….Flo needed a bath.  Now you would think that chickens would hate baths….kind of like cats.  My sister fully expected to have a fight on her hands involving scratches from Flo’s beak and claws.

Well Flo had some surprises in store for my sister…..

Give it a Bath

Little Farmer and Littlest Farmer decided to help their mother (Chicken Farmer) to get Flo clean.

Once she was put into the warm water, she was very calm and stayed still while she was being washed.  She actually seemed to enjoy it.

The weather was in the upper 70’s that day (warmer then usual this time of year) which was perfect.

Give it a Bath

You can see how dirty the water got (Flo had just gotten done rolling the dust).

Now Flo was a clean chicken.

But my sister wasn’t through yet….

Give it a Bath

Flo needed to be dried off.  Believe it or not, she didn’t mind the blow dryer at all.

I am sure that my sister never thought that she would ever be using her hair dryer on a chicken 😉

The other chickens were very curious at what was going on with Flo.  Maybe they were even jealous of the beauty treatment that Flo received. 

Give it a Bath

Next week, my sister is expecting a special delivery of some new chicks.  She had so much fun picking out the new breeds that they will add to their flock.  You can read about them and see pictures from her blog post.

***********************************

I will get right back to blogging about some more lesser-known plants for you to try out in your garden.

So stay tuned 🙂

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A Bright, Sunny, Lesser-Known Plant for the Garden

AZ Plant Lady

I wrote earlier this month about the extreme cold temperatures that we had been dealing with.  Well, we are now experiencing warmer then normal temperatures with highs hitting about 78 degrees F.  While I do love this weather, I am NOT liking how my allergies have flared up.  I am writing this with swollen, itchy and watery eyes……definitely not a pretty sight.  So, I will stay indoors, hoping that my allergy medication decides to kick in sometime soon 😉

On another note, I have enjoyed sharing with you some of the wonderful plants that are ‘lesser-known’ in the garden.

Basically, lesser-known plants are those that are underused in the garden.  I think the reason is, is that most people are so used to using the more common landscape plants, that they do not know what other alternatives are out there.  

So, if you are tired of your front landscape, looking like everyone else, then you should definitely try out some of these plants in your landscape.  So far, we have showcased Valentine, Chaparral Sage and Coral Fountain.

Today’s star is one that I have used quite a bit in the past 10 years.  Although I have seen it used in commercial plantings, it is still not seen too often in residential landscapes, which is a shame.

Angelita Daisy

Angelita Daisy (Tetraneuris acaulis formerly Hymenoxys acualis), is a must have for the garden.  I love the bright, daisy-like flowers and the little grass-like leaves.

This pretty little perennial is native to the high desert areas of the United States, but also thrives in the low desert as well.

Angelita Daisy

They look great when massed together.  I normally use 3 planted about 1 ft. apart.  Alternatively, they can be planted alone as well and look great when placed next to boulders or in containers.

Angelita Daisies make a great alternative for Gold Lantana and does not suffer frost damage in both the low and high deserts.

**In fact, Angelita Daisy is hardy to -20 degrees F.  So it is perfect for those who live in colder climates as well!

Here are some other reasons to use this wonderful little perennial in your garden:

Thrives in full sun.

Is not picky about soil, as long as it is well-drained.

Does not require fertilizer.

Is fairly low-maintenance.  Occasional deadheading of flowers is all.

In low desert areas, Angelita Daisy blooms off an on all year long, with the strongest bloom occurring in spring.

It’s mature size of 1 ft. high and wide, makes it perfect for any size garden. 

Angelita Daisy

Angelita Daisies are not all that impressive when viewed in their containers, but as soon as they are planted and their roots have a chance to grow, you will be rewarded with a showy display of yellow flowers.

As the plants age, you may prune them back if needed and they do spread by seed.

I think I will use some in my summer containers this year.

How about you?

Where will you use Angelita Daisy in your garden?

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Breaking Out My Pruners…….In 22 Days

AZ Plant Lady

Every year about this time, I get tired of seeing this in my garden……

frost damage

My brown shrubs

Pretty ugly, isn’t it?

Just looking at my frozen Lantana, causes me to feel the pull of my pruners calling out to me.

Even though I know all the reasons that I should NOT prune them now, it would be so easy to prune them back early.

And so, to keep myself from venturing into the garage where my loppers and hand pruners are stored, I will keep repeating the following reasons to stay away……

1. If I prune early, I may prune off branches that are actually alive on the inside.

2.  I can cause irreparable damage by pruning early since that stimulates plants to produce new growth, which is especially susceptible to frost damage and may even kill my plants.

3.  The brown and crispy stuff actually protects the interior and sometimes the lower leaves of my plants from the cold.

I will go out prune to my hearts content once the danger of frost is over, which is about the first week of March in my zone 9a garden.

Okay, I feel much better now about leaving my brown shrubs alone…..for the next 22 days and counting down 😉

*****************************

I have some special news to share with you all in about a week.

It is something that I have been working on for a while now and it is getting ready to debut soon.

More later 🙂  

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Adventures With Saguaros….

AZ Plant Lady

When many people think of the Desert Southwest, the iconic Saguaro cactus comes to mind.  I remember seeing my first saguaro, crossing over the California Arizona border.  When I first saw them, it was hard to believe that they were real.  They were so strange looking to my eyes.

Saguaro cactus

Throughout my career as a horticulturist, I have had many interactions with these beautiful cacti.  Most of them were quite wonderful really, but there were some that were not so much fun…..

One incident was quite painful.  I remember a time when we were creating pathways for a potential botanical walk when I spotted a small saguaro  (8 inches tall) that was directly in the path, so I had it dug up in order to place it elsewhere.  Well, I pricked my thumb on one of the spines, but I didn’t think anything of it because I frequently stuck myself with other types of cacti and agave.

Well my thumb began to swell….and swell.  It got to the point 3 days later that I could not use my hand, so I had to go to the doctor for some antibiotics, which took care of the problem.  Spines oftentimes have bacteria on the tips which can cause problems if you get stuck.

Another incident was quite painful as well, but not physically.  This involved one of my favorite saguaros  that was located in a large feature area alongside the golf course where I worked.  I had transformed this landscape area into a hummingbird garden.  The saguaro was huge and had many arms growing from it.   

hummingbird garden

This photo was taken when we had just finished adding the plants in our hummingbird garden.

A few years later, as I was driving to work on a gorgeous summer morning, little did I know that my beautiful saguaro had fallen victim to the torrential rain and high winds we had experienced the night before.  

beautiful saguaro

As soon as I had arrived at work, my crew told me what had happened and I drove my little golf cart out there as fast as possible.  

It was such a sad sight.  I literally felt sick to my stomach.  To get a sense of how large it was, my co-worker who is pictured above is about 6′ 4″ tall.

As I got up close to examine it, I saw something else that was also quite sad….

Saguaro cactus

A tiny baby Cactus Wren had also fallen victim.  The force of the falling saguaro dislodged him from his nesting hole.  His mother was close by and had also died.

The last incident that I would like to share with you also happened around the time of the fallen saguaro.


I was driving around the golf courses, checking on landscape areas and the many trees that we had growing on the courses.  This was part of my daily routine.  

There were beautiful homes and landscapes that backed up to the golf courses.  As I was passing one of the homes, I noticed something up in the top reaches of their stately saguaro that was not a welcome sight.

Did you know that saguaros can get sick?

Saguaro cactus

Okay, it may not be obvious, but look closely towards the top.  Do you see two brown/black spots with liquid seeping out?

Here was a classic example of bacterial necrosis (Erwinia carnegieana).  

The ‘black goo’ that is excreted smells absolutely awful.  You may be wondering how it spreads.  Well, insects and small animals are the primary way that it is spread.  They visit an infected cactus and then fly to your cacti, spreading the bacteria.  

So, can you leave it alone and hope it will go away?  Well, there is a chance that the saguaro itself can seal off the infection by forming a special kind of tissue known as ‘callus’.

But this is not always successful and if the bacterial necrosis spreads, it will lead to the death of your saguaro, causing it to fall, which can also cause damage to those things that are in its path.

So what can you do?

Well, if the infection is where you can reach it, you can cut out the infected area.  Using a sharp knife, begin cutting out all black, gooey areas, taking care to sterilize your knife after each cut using rubbing alcohol.

You need to remove all diseased cactus flesh and cut into at least a 1/2″ of healthy saguaro tissue.  To make sure that water cannot accumulate in the area, use a spoon to gently slope the bottom of the hole.  Make sure that the walls of the now enlarged hole are smooth with no puncture marks.

The last step involves spraying the entire, excavated area with a 10% bleach mixture (9 parts water to 1 part chlorine bleach).  This should kill any remaining bacterial.

Another option is that you can call a cactus professional and have them treat the infection.

For more information you can click here.  About halfway down the page, you will find excellent information on bacterial necrosis.

I am happy to say that there is a happy ending to this last saguaro incident…..the homeowners had it treated and it is still alive and thriving 8 years later 🙂

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A Hospital for Plants?

AZ Plant Lady

Because I love plants and blogging, I am constantly taking pictures.  As a result, I have quite a lot of photos to go through and it can be a week or two (okay sometimes a few months), before I get to them.

Well, since it has been rather cold outside and I haven’t had to do much of anything in my garden, I decided to be productive and go through some of my photos that I had taken in the fall.

I was contacted by a former co-worker who asked me to do a consult of his mother’s garden.  When he gave me her address, I was thrilled that she lived only 5 minutes away from my house.  

His mother was quite a delightful person and was a native of France.  Her garden reflected her European roots.  She had many different types of plants focusing mainly on plants native to Europe. 

As I was leaving, I passed by a large Willow tree and underneath it’s canopy, I spotted a glimpse of an assortment of potted plants.

Hospital for Plants

As I looked more closely, I could see that many of these plants had seen better days.  In fact, it was a very motley group of plants.

Hospital for Plants

Hospital for Plants

Her son, seeing my questioning glance, explained that his mother had a huge soft spot for struggling and sometimes dying plants.

She would often peruse the discount sections of nurseries (including some big box stores) where sickly plants would be for sale.  She would then take them home where she worked hard to nurse them back to health.

The filtered shade from the willow tree provided protection from the sun and the wind, which was the perfect micro-climate for these plants to try to recuperate.

Although she had some failures, she did have quite a few successes.

Hospital for Plants

 The basil plant above did so well that it’s roots had grown into the grass underneath.

Seeing this plant hospital got me to thinking…..do any of you like to rescue plants?  What type of ‘hospital’ do you have for them?

I would love to hear your stories 🙂

Steps Towards Curing the Garden Blahs….Where to Place Plants?

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Brown and Crispy OR Nice and Green….Part 2

AZ Plant Lady

Well, after the rather ugly photos of brown and crispy plants that I showed you in my previous post, I am excited to show you the plants that did very well during our severe cold spell when temperatures dipped into the 20’s for 4 nights in a row.

Some are getting ready for the springtime show of flowers like my Pink Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua ‘Pink’).

Pink Globe Mallow

My Valentine shrubs (Eremophila maculata ‘Valentine’) are getting ready for their big show of flowers in February….

Valentine shrub

One of my favorite, underused perennials is my Paperflower (Psilotrophe cooperi).

Paperflower

You can see why it got it’s common name of Paperflower, because the spent flowers have a papery texture and appearance.

My Firecracker Penstemon (Penstemon eatonii) only has a single blooming stalk, but will soon be covered in flowers.

Firecracker Penstemon

All of these plants did well and I am looking forward to more flowers soon.

There are many other plants that also fared quite well throughout the cold.

our severe cold spell

I love the purple and green foliage of my newly planted Purple Hopbush (Dodonaea viscosa ‘Purpurea’).  I can’t wait for it to grow tall so that it covers a rather bare expanse of wall.

I drove through my neighborhood to see what other plants did well in our cold snap.

our severe cold spell

This ‘Green Cloud’ Texas Sage has not at all been affected by the cold.  During the winter months, most Leucophyllum species lose some of their leaves, leading to a somewhat sparse appearance, but this is normal.

Okay, now don’t laugh at the next photo….

our severe cold spell

Believe it or not, styrofoam cups offer some frost protection to the tips of columnar cacti.  This is important, because this is the growing point of many cacti species.

I call the house above, the ‘cactus house’ because they have so many different types of cacti in their front garden.  Most cacti did very well during the cold snap.

Other ‘nice and green’ plants not pictured:

‘Summertime Blue’ and ‘Pink Beauty’ Eremophilas

Feathery Cassia (Senna artemisoides) & other Senna species

Roses

Queen, Pygmy, California and Mexican Fan Palms

Purple Lilac Vine (Hardenbergia violaceae)

Desert Spoon (Dasylirion wheeleri)

Juniper

and

Rosemary

……just to name a few that I observed.

It is important to note that there will be some exceptions, even in neighborhoods close to mine.  Although I am less then an hour away from downtown Phoenix, my temperatures are lower and my garden receives more rainfall.  Gardeners in Phoenix saw less frost damage then those in outlying areas.

So what should you do if your garden is full of ‘brown and crispy’ plants?

I will ‘talk’ about that in my next post 🙂

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Brown and Crispy…..or Nice and Green?

AZ Plant Lady

Many of you may be taking inventory of your garden after the extreme cold spell we just went through in the desert southwest.  Temperatures dipped into the 20’s, which is quite cold for us desert dwellers.  As a result, there are many plants that for lack of a better description, look brown and crispy…..

Brown and Crispy Plants

 Bougainvillea

Not a pretty sight, is it?

Well, that is the price we pay for growing tropical plants in our semi-tropical climate.  In return for the beauty these plants give us 9 months of the year, we have to put up with 3 months of ugly.

My own garden has a mix of brown and crispy plants along with some plants that are better adapted to the cold and are still nice and green.

First, the brown and crispy:

Brown and Crispy Plants

My large Bush Lantana (Lantana camara) is no longer green.  The leaves have turned brown and are now falling off.  I can now see some trash that has collected underneath as well.

Brown and Crispy Plants

Brown and Crispy Plants

My own Bougainvillea is hardly recognizable anymore.  I had hoped that the freeze would have killed the green weed that keeps growing through this particular Bougainvillea, but wouldn’t you know it…..it is still green.

Brown and Crispy Plants

My large Orange Jubilee shrub (Tecoma x ‘Orange Jubilee’) got hit hard as well.  It is interesting to note that the part of the shrub that is still green lies underneath the branches of my Cascalote tree, which offered some protection from the frost.

Brown and Crispy Plants

One of my favorite shrubs, Arizona Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans stans) was also affected by the cold weather.

The severe cold also had an interesting affect on my flowering Agave desmettiana….

Agave desmettiana

Not only were the leaves damaged by the cold, but the forming flowers on the stalk were also damaged.

crispy plants

Just a few days ago, the flowers were upright and growing quickly.

I’m not sure if the tip of the flowering stalk was damaged as well.  If it wasn’t, it will continue to grow upwards and have a few more flowers to form.

This past cold spell was extreme and so some of the damage I have seen is rather rare, like the damaged Agave.  It will be interesting to see how it does in the coming days.

Some of my tropical plants weathered the cold very well, including my Gold Lantana.

so green

The reason they still look so green is that they are partially protected by the overhang of my roof and the fact that I also covered them at night.

I took a drive through my neighborhood to see how other gardens fared with the cold.

brown Ficus tree

We have quite a few brown Ficus trees around the neighborhood.  You know, some people just love Ficus trees and lament the frost damage that occurs every few years when we have an exceptionally hard freeze.  But, that is what happens with Ficus trees and will continue to happen when we have extra cold weather.  

**For those people who ask me for an alternative tree, I always recommend using a Sissoo tree (Dalbergia sissoo), which has a beautiful green canopy and fares better in the cold.

Bougainvillea

I’m not sure what plant is hidden underneath these blankets, but I suspect that it might be a Bougainvillea.

Natal Plum shrubs

These Natal Plum shrubs are only partially protected.  I guess the homeowner ran out of towels?  The shrubs may end up with interesting patterns of green and brown foliage.

protect your plants

 Did you know that using plastic this way does not protect your plants from the cold?  When plastic touches the leaves, it actually causes them to release heat.  Plastic should only be used with a frame so that the foliage does not touch the plastic itself.

Although we do have our share of cold winter days, this past cold spell was extreme and so some of the damage I have seen is rather rare, like the damaged Agave.  It will be interesting to see how it does in the coming days.

You may wonder why I use tropical plants in my garden, since they do go through an ugly period each winter.  Well, if all I had in my garden was tropical plants, winter would be kind of depressing.  But thankfully, I do have quite a few plants that hold up very well to the winter cold. 

In my next post, I will showcase those plants that did weather our cold spell very well.

https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/DSC_0013.jpg 393 640 arizonaplantlady@gmail.com https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AZ-Plant-Lady-Logo-small.jpg arizonaplantlady@gmail.com2011-01-06 18:47:002021-02-17 04:43:36Brown and Crispy…..or Nice and Green?
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