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Audio article about Wilson County News made possible by the C Street Gift Shop in downtown Floresville |
Q: Can I remove the dead and frozen leaves from my plants? I seem to remember reading that that’s bad.
A: If you can stand the appearance of frozen plants, please leave the blackened and wilted plants alone. New growth may still be possible below this frozen area. If you want to help, make sure your garden and plants stay moist because water gives off heat. Moist soil retains heat better than dry soil. Also remember that Snowmageddon happened in February and we’ll likely have more freezing weather before it’s time to prune.
I was surprised which plants survived the Christmas week. My chard has bitten the dust but my broccoli and flowering cabbage plants are looking good. Luckily, the ornamental cabbage is edible. And if we’re more below freezing, they should even survive down to 5 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Wisconsin Horticulture Extension site. The article suggests that the cabbage’s often bitter taste can be reduced by boiling the leaves, discarding the water, and then boiling them again or steaming them in olive oil.
Make sure your bird baths are filled with water and make sure the ice is broken so the birds can drink. I realized this when I looked outside and saw a pigeon walking on my frozen lily pond looking for water. (I took a kettle of boiling water and poured it over the ice.)
Q: When are bare root roses and trees planted? Which roses have you had the best luck with?
A: They are usually planted in January when the plants are more dormant to increase their chances of survival. Think of our extremely hot summers. We usually know when to plant because our local nurseries bring in the bare root stock.
My favorite roses over the years have been Carefree Beauty (Katy Road Pink) and Martha Gonzales. Martha Gonzales was a “raspy” rose from a gardener’s home in Navasota. It has red individual flowers and is ideal as a shrub, hedge or border.
It’s also one of those roses that you can trim with hedge trimmers and it still looks amazing. I have made a number of cuttings from my mother plant.
Carefree Beauty was introduced in 1977 to withstand the cold and long Midwest winters. Texas AgriLife Extension chose her as an earth-like rose for our hot, dry summers. When I first bought my bush it was called Katy Road Pink because it was “found” on Katy Road in Houston. Whatever you call it, this rose bush is a winner. Wonderful semi-double pink flowers, smells nice, has rose hips, roots well and seems (according to Texas AgriLife) to tolerate saline irrigation water when drip irrigated. It blooms in spring, summer and fall and the foliage stays healthy. (I keep the fallen leaves to prevent problems.)
Any of these roses (or both) will be worth it. Happy New!
Clara Mae Marcotte is a Texas Master Gardener at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. If you have a question to answer, call the Master Gardeners at 830-379-1972 or leave a message for an answer. The website is guadalupecountymastergardeners.org. The Master Gardener Research Library is open on Wednesdays from 1 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 210 East Live Oak Street in Seguin.
