I don’t know about you, but our plants all reacted to the freeze differently. Some shrubs and azaleas that we did not cover are blossoming and greening up. Some plants I protected were too delicate to make it. If you want to jump start your curb appeal but aren’t sure what to do next, Randy Lemmon, the garden guy on KTRH radio, has a few pointers on his blog which you may find helpful.

At this point you have probably pulled away the mushy gushy stuff and are watching for signs of life. If you see green shoots on trees or shrubs, that’s great. Be sure to trim off and discard dead branches. An easy way to tell if you have a dead branch is to bend it back a little. If it is pliable, it’s probably green. If it cracks and breaks off easily and is brown on the inside, clip it off. Removing the dead leaves and branches lets your plant use that energy towards growth and rejuvenation. Plants are resilient and should come back soon, but it wouldn’t hurt to fertilize them a little more than you usually do.

If you have some gaps in your flower beds that you need filled, check with your local nursery for some low maintenance plants like Hawthorne or Abelia. I love Buchannan’s Native Plants plant library, which allows you to search for a plant by size, color, and sunlight and water needs. Don’t forget to water, fertilize and mulch – but go easy on the mulch.

If you are looking for a landscape designer or plant advice, I have resources for you. Just call!