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Frost Proofing Your Houston Native Garden: What to do when it gets BRRRRR

Writer's picture: Reba WilesReba Wiles

Main takeaways:

  • Cover small, tender plants, with burlap or a blanket, and remove covering as soon as temperatures rise.

  • Hardy established natives do not need a covering other than a thick blanket of mulch.

  • Gently water landscape the previous evening.

  • Leave the dead brush afterward until spring.


With the expected temperature drop coming up, I’m sure you have a lot on your to-do list - wrap pipes, stock up on water, cover your tender plants. But what should you do to protect your established native landscape? The short answer is, not much, if you have been maintaining well throughout the year and have installed mulch. But technically “maintaining well” can mean a lot of different things to different gardeners. Let’s get into it.


Native Vs. Non-Native, Know the Difference


I’m sure that if you are on my site reading my blog right now you probably have garnered some idea of the difference between natives and exotics. But the truth is, there are a lot of terms out there, and sometimes they get used incorrectly. For example the term “Texas native” is consistently thrown around in hashtags and posts. I would argue that this term is too vague to be a precise descriptor. Texas native is good, but local Houston native is better. Also many of our native species have been adopted by the horticulture trade and altered into cultivars that have gained more commercially attractive qualities (bigger blooms, brighter colors) at the expense of their survivability. I endearingly refer to these species as “nativars.” Be aware that many retail nurseries do not distinguish and will sell “natives” that are not necessarily adapted to our local area. While, yes, there are many species that are not native that do not require maintenance, and conversely there are natives that do require pampering if planted in the wrong conditions, what I mean to say is that non-native landscapes will probably fail on a low-maintenance regimen, and natives will probably succeed. Only true locally-adapted natives can be expected to survive on a low-maintenance regimen.


Dead decaying leaves dropped from trees provide free mulch for your natural garden

Let’s Talk About Mulch Baby


By this point in the year, we have probably heard about the benefits of leaving the leaves, but which leaves and where do we leave them? Mulch is a top layer of material that protects the topsoil and regulates moisture and temperature. It can consist of many different materials - shredded hardwood, bark chips, dried leaves, or any materials that provide the same function, but I don’t recommend synthetic materials in the landscape. The different types of materials provide different permeability, which is going to affect the health of your plants. Too much mulch will reduce your plants’ access to light, water, and gas exchange. Too little will leave your plants at the whims of their environment. As a general rule, I recommend a four inch layer of native hardwood mulch. However, there is a lot of wiggle room in terms of thickness and material, so I encourage you to experiment for yourself.


#leavetheleaves

Size Matters


When it freezes, we cover our plants, right? Tuck them in snug under a frost cloth or blanket. However, with larger plants this is not very practical, economical, or even possible. If the task of covering your plants is too great, it’s unlikely to get completed. And if the coverings are not removed after the threat of frost has passed, condensation and light deprivation could damage your plants. Restrict covering to only the most important, most tender, and smallest garden beds. Your large, established natives do not need a blanket if they have mulch and are adequately moist. They have protection encoded in their DNA. Being bone dry during a freeze is adding insult to injury, so make sure your landscape has had a good drink before temperatures drop.


Brush is Beautiful


We’ve gone over my tips on what to do before a freeze, but what happens afterward? One of my favorite experiences of winter is going outside after the first frost. This is when the landscape embraces a wintry mood and peaceful stillness. We don’t get this moment every year in Houston, so it’s important to appreciate it when we do. The once green leaves on deciduous plants that hung on this far will finally give in to frost, leaving a skeleton of branches and twigs. Dead brush is not unsightly but is the natural indicator that we are in the cocoon period of life. If you can possibly stand to let go of a little control, please leave the dead remains of your frozen plants until new growth appears in spring. Bees, butterflies, and other critters depend on these structures to survive the winter, and birds eat the seeds on deadheads.


winter mood


Stay Warm


My goals for this article were to equip you with knowledge and confidence to prepare your native landscape for the upcoming freezing temperatures. Double check that your mulch layer is still sufficiently maintaining moisture and temperature. Make sure your landscape is well watered this weekend. As the brush dies, try to leave it as is until spring, so the wildlife can take advantage of the food and shelter it provides them. Please understand that these suggestions are for specifically Houston native plants, and your tropicals especially will require a much more intensive regimen. Reach out if you have any questions (contact@wilescapes.com) and stay safe out there! Thank you for reading, and thank you for your interest in habitat gardening.

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