Tropical Gardens with Hardy Plants - General Tiki

PP Prikli Pear Tiki Socialite New Braunfels, Texas Joined: Jan 04, 2017 Posts: 981	PP Prikli Pear Posted posted on Thu, Feb 9, 2023 1:23 PM Normally our winters are mild. Numerous light freezes with a few hard freezes occasionally getting down to 20F (-6C). In Feb. 2021, however, we had the most bitterly cold arctic blast I've experienced in my lifetime. Temperatures got down to 9F (-13C). And stayed in that range for five days. My area of Texas can get an unusually cold snap every few years, dipping down to, say, 16F (-9C). But the temperatures don't stay that cold. We get a freeze overnight and the temperatures climb back above freezing for a few hours during the day and maybe dip back down at night. Two days later it's 65F (18C) and sunny for two more weeks. The cold killed all of the Canary Island date palms from Austin to San Antonio, as well as 75% of the Mexican fan palms in the area (which are really popular because they grow so quickly). All the Queen palms in the area survived, which makes me wonder if they're true Queen palms as those are supposed to be less hardy than Mexicans. Sabal and windmill palms shrugged off the freeze like it hadn't happened. My pindo palm survived the freeze but I almost lost it afterward to a fungal infection in the crown (which I gather is a major killer of palms after they've been weakened by cold). I lost some trunks on my Mediterranean fan palms but those have since regrown vigorously from the roots. Oh, and maybe 40% of the California fan palms in the area died as well. My young Canary Island was covered with a frost blanket. I initially thought it survived, but as we got into March and April all the color drained from the fronds and it withered. Likewise, I had two loquat trees approximately 10' (3 meters) tall. The freeze killed back all of their foliage but they flushed out new growth in early April but by June all that growth and withered and they were dead, dead, dead. Snow is quite rare around here. We've had two light snowfalls in the past 20 years. Ice storms with sleet and freezing rain are much more likely. We normally have seasonal droughts from June-September with temperatures above 100F (38C), so that contributes to the stress on the vegetation. Add to that the fact much of Texas has alkaline soil and many tropical and subtropical plants just aren't very happy with the climate.

Normally our winters are mild. Numerous light freezes with a few hard freezes occasionally getting down to 20F (-6C). In Feb. 2021, however, we had the most bitterly cold arctic blast I've experienced in my lifetime. Temperatures got down to 9F (-13C). And stayed in that range for five days. My area of Texas can get an unusually cold snap every few years, dipping down to, say, 16F (-9C). But the temperatures don't stay that cold. We get a freeze overnight and the temperatures climb back above freezing for a few hours during the day and maybe dip back down at night. Two days later it's 65F (18C) and sunny for two more weeks. The cold killed all of the Canary Island date palms from Austin to San Antonio, as well as 75% of the Mexican fan palms in the area (which are really popular because they grow so quickly). All the Queen palms in the area survived, which makes me wonder if they're true Queen palms as those are supposed to be less hardy than Mexicans. Sabal and windmill palms shrugged off the freeze like it hadn't happened. My pindo palm survived the freeze but I almost lost it afterward to a fungal infection in the crown (which I gather is a major killer of palms after they've been weakened by cold). I lost some trunks on my Mediterranean fan palms but those have since regrown vigorously from the roots. Oh, and maybe 40% of the California fan palms in the area died as well.

My young Canary Island was covered with a frost blanket. I initially thought it survived, but as we got into March and April all the color drained from the fronds and it withered. Likewise, I had two loquat trees approximately 10' (3 meters) tall. The freeze killed back all of their foliage but they flushed out new growth in early April but by June all that growth and withered and they were dead, dead, dead.

Snow is quite rare around here. We've had two light snowfalls in the past 20 years. Ice storms with sleet and freezing rain are much more likely. We normally have seasonal droughts from June-September with temperatures above 100F (38C), so that contributes to the stress on the vegetation. Add to that the fact much of Texas has alkaline soil and many tropical and subtropical plants just aren't very happy with the climate.

Post #807862 by Prikli Pear on Thu, Feb 9, 2023 1:23 PM