We didn't have snowfall on the Valley floor a couple of weeks ago, but we did have two nights of heavy or hard frost that turned our landscape into a white winter wonderland. The aftermath of the frost is not so pretty.
We are now seeing a lot of blackened or burned-looking leaves on frost-tender plants that were directly exposed to below-freezing temperatures.
Most gardeners' first response to frost damage in their gardens is to trim back their sad-looking plants to make them look better.
Cutting back freeze-damaged perennial plants now is not a good idea.
The dead leaves will act as a protective covering that will help to prevent further damage during subsequent freezing nights.
And there's really no way to determine the extent of the damage to branches and stems.
It's better to tolerate the sight of the melted wax begonias and the brown and flattened geraniums than to risk killing them by cleaning them up.
Some plants that were partially sheltered underneath overhanging eves, patios and large tree canopies may show signs of frost damage on one side of the plant.
Again, it's best to wait until new growth appears to trim away damaged portions.
Frost-tender tropical plants such as canna, bird of paradise, banana and elephant ears may look absolutely dreadful right now, and your neighbors might be insisting that you clean up the ugly mess.
Elephant ears sprout from a fairly frost-hardy tuber that is planted just underneath the soil. The root systems of birds of paradise, cannas and bananas are a little more vulnerable to frost damage.
If you choose to appease the neighbors and remove the dead leaves and stalks of these plants, the tubers or root systems can be protected on frosty nights with a blanket or a covering of old towels.
There are several evergreen or semi-deciduous perennial plants that lose their leaves after a hard freeze.
Leaves on some azalea varieties will turn yellow and drop if winter weather is really cold.
The below-freezing temperatures have triggered a type of winter dormancy. Branches look rather bare and spring-flowering will not be up to par.
Wait to fertilize cold-affected azaleas until after they've finished blooming in late spring.
That's when they'll start setting next year's buds and flushing out new leaves.
Plumbago plants also drop leaves after a cold spell.
Plumbago branches and stems, similar to bougainvillea, may sustain quite a bit of frost-damage. We just won't know the extent of that damage until the plants begin to sprout new growth in spring.
Before trimming in spring, use your fingernail or a small knife to gently scrape the bark at several points along the dead-looking stems.
Cut the stems back to just below the point where the stems turn brown.
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