Views of the Neighborhood – Freeze Results

~ John W. Howell

Last week we rolled around and looked at those who covered their plants. This week I thought it would be interesting to look at the results of not covering the plants. Also, on a couple of occasions, the effects of protecting the plants.

We are being catered by The Peached Tortilla in Austin. Our entertainment is Meatloaf.

Menu

THAI CHOP CHOP SALAD
chopped napa, fried tofu, green apple, fried shallots, Thai vinaigrette, rice puffs, peanuts, Fresno chiles, watermelon radish, fish sauce caramel, herbs

BRISKET HASH
kimchi miso corn, sweet potatoes, Fresnos, onion jam, pasture-raised fried egg
ask your server for our vegetarian option

SHORT RIB BENEDICT  Korean braised short rib, grilled ciabatta, kochukaru hollandaise

FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH  Asian slaw, Japanese pickles, gochu glaze, easy tiger easy bun
served with Belgian fries

KOREAN STEAK & EGGS BOWL  sous vide hanger steak, sunny side up eggs, kimchi, egg furikake, rice

AVOCADO TOAST
miso scallion creme fraiche, alfalfa sprouts, watermelon radish, lemon oil
served with greens tossed in yuzu vinaigrette, add soft scrambled pasture-raised eggs

All manner of things to drink.

Picture of an old time school bus

Let’s go.

Our first stop is an unprotected cactus. Don’t know how you would protect it, but freezing temperatures create havoc.

Some cascading plants put in after the great freeze last year are toast again this year.

The ground cover takes a hit but will come back.

Last week I showed this expensive green cover. The next is a view of this week.

The cover did not work. Frost burn on the new plants.

A major hit, but expected to return.

The Carolina Jasmine is gone. This was from the big freeze last year.

The boxwoods have signs of frost burn.

The Viburnum growth has been affected. It should not hurt the plant.

A shot of blossoms from protected plants. (Producer photo)

A protected hanging basket.

I hope you enjoyed the tour and wish you a wonderful week. Sit back and enjoy the food and music. If you haven’t seen this video I would recommend it even though it is a little longer than most.

79 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood – Freeze Results”

  11. I hope the damage is either temporary or manageable. It looks like a lot of mature plants were affected.

    I’ll have the steak and eggs bowl. I know, I moved on from the damage to breakfast pretty quickly, but I was just out finishing up after our storm and it’s 6 degrees.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. It’s 15 F here this morning, a heat wave compared to yesterday morning’s 0 F. My best to you and your neighbors in dealing with the vagaries of nature. You do what you can, hoping it works. A lot of trial and error involved in the learning process.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. There’s another thing about cacti. They never, ever should be watered when a freeze is coming. I stop watering mine in about November, and only give them a drink if a few days of warm weather are certain. If they’ve been watered and a freeze comes, the internal cells will burst, and they go all mushy. I wondered if that tall one might have been as much a victim of water as cold temperatures. I suppose it depends on the species, but I sure learned my lesson: when they tell you to water plants to help them get through a freeze, don’t include the cacti!

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Meat Loaf is a wonderful way to start the morning. 🌞 I love the producer’s photo, a beautiful reminder that Spring is just around the corner. As for the outside plants, your area is starting to look like ours. BTW, I’d hate to be the one to try to straighten the cactus. 😊

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  16. It’s so sad that the green cover didn’t work. I’m glad some of the plants you showed, will come back, and I’m thankful for the pretty photos of those that were protected. It reminds me that spring is not that far away and there will be color and blooms to usher in the warmth.
    Thanks for the Meatloaf video, too. So many great ones gone.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. We have the same problem with some of our plants, We cut them back and they do well. I took in my chives and they are growing like weeks under a regular lamp. Outside, our third weekend in a row of spotty snow and cold temps!

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  23. It is winter. Even winter hardy plants don’t look good this time of the year. Most of the non native plants will look rough or dead. Even some of the native plants will even fit that description. Come spring those that have survived will green up and few will be the wiser for it. And the tender varieties will be replaced and become fodder for the next winter. Now for another cup of coffee and to put the feet up.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Sorry the expensive covering did not work on the house I liked. There is no good way to cover tall cactus. Nice of the producer to share photos of lovely blooming plants after all the sad ones damaged by the freeze.

    Liked by 1 person

  26. Meatloaf was a favorite in my cassette deck as a teen- sad to hear he’s gone. Sometimes the plants will come up from the bottom if you prune the dead stuff back. We had a chilly (for us) winter, as well. Mother Nature is up to her games again 🙂

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  27. Sometimes I wonder who is heartier—plants or humans? I played Meat Loaf’s Bat out of Hell album on vinyl until it had tons of scratches on it.

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  32. Do you guys suffer from box moth? It’s utterly devastating our box shrubs and hedges and thr only answer are awful chemical sprays. We are scrubbing ours out this year – we swallowed our principles for the wedding – and will replace them. Such a shame another invasive species has buggered us about

    Liked by 1 person

    1. We don’t have box moth. At least not to the point of noticing. Seems a shame to replace them since they make such lovely hedges. Better that than chemicals I suppose. Good luck.

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  34. We who live in much colder climes don’t expect to see frost damage in places like Texas. Of course, you guys get some pretty cold dips now and again. I suppose the cactus didn’t stand a chance…

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