It is starting to warm up a bit in some areas and there are lots of things you can do in your garden to get ready for spring season. Hopefully, you took care of your plants before the cold weather by watering them and adding lots of mulch to your shrubs and trees. Also, during really cold fronts, like the one we just had here in Florida, you covered your perennials and all tender shrubs with blankets and quilts. (photo courtesy: wikipedia.org)

But as you look around your garden, you see those sad looking flowerbeds that are still frozen and actually crunches when you touch them. Some perennials, pansies and snapdragons may be drooping and when you touch the soil it is frozen solid. Gosh! It really is sad to see your garden look like this. But this in reality is what happens to your garden during the colder months in the northern areas or even cold fronts like we have here in Florida.

If you have hardy perennials in your garden, the good news is that snow and ice act as insulators and this actually may have helped the plants survive the cold weather. Some gardeners believe that after a big freeze or cold front, you should not wash the ice or frost off the plants because it may damage the plants. Leave the frost alone and wait until the soil is completely thawed and dry before working on the garden.

Once the soil is frost free, water it lightly to make sure the roots don’t dry up completely. Don’t over water as this may cause your plants to rot. Once it starts warming up in your area, start removing the damaged leaves from your perennials and other plants that were affected by the freeze. Be sure to remove any leaves that look mushy, yellow or dried out to prevent the spread of disease. Remember that the roots of these plants were somewhat protected even during a cold front and these should come back healthy in the spring.

The exception to this is tropical plants that are sometimes called “woody” plants. Don’t prune plants like hibiscus or lantana right after a big freeze or frost. These plants are best pruned in the spring or once the danger of frost is gone. Wait until you see new growth beginning to sprout or you can scratch the bark lightly until you see green wood. If the green is there, go ahead and prune your tropical plants.