Winter is upon us - even in Arizona. We usually have several nights of below freezing temperatures here in the Phoenix valley. Those of us further out in the outlying areas get even colder. Remember, our desert plants need to be protected from the freezing nights. Most cacti will manage just fine but the more tropical plants need to be covered to protect them. Any new plantings should also be covered. These are too delicate to make it through a major frost. Plants like Hibiscus, Aloe, Morning Glory, some Palms, Bougainvillia, Lantana and most flowering plants are susceptible to frost bite and can die.
When covering your plants, just put an old sheet or towels over the plants. Make sure you cover them to the ground to keep the frost out. Trees are obviously harder to cover but get as much of the leaves as possible. You can even wrap the trunk if you like but this is not usually necessary. Don't forget to remove the covers in the morning so they can get the sun of the day then recover again at night if it calls for frost.
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2 comments:
I have Snail vine or Cork Screw Vine and suffered a lot of frostbite damage. Any suggestions on how to care for it? Do I just blow off the leaves of cut it down to the base?
Your Snail Vine should come back next month. Wait if you can to cut it back for a week or so until the threat of frost is over. When it starts to come back you can cut it down to the base or where it is starting to grow again.
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