Our advice: Wait and watch. There’s nothing you can apply or water in to help frozen plants. Plants are resilient. They can tolerate extremes, so don’t despair. Instead, enjoy the return of life to the landscape.
For damaged plants, including palms, sagos, citrus, succulents and viburnums, experts agree it’s best to wait until April to assess their condition, as most of these plants won’t make new leaves until fairly late in spring. Trees
Due to oak wilt, oak trees should not be pruned after February. For the rest, most arborists are waiting to see whether leaf buds return before pruning accordingly. You can do a quick test by scratching back a little bark from a small branch to see if the tissue underneath is green. If so, it’s alive. Most trees recommended are tolerant of extreme temperatures in both summer and winter.
Lawns
It’s too early for grass to take up any fertilizer, generally until the ground warms up late April, early May around Oklahoma. However, with a bumper crop of spring weeds it’s not a bad time to keep up with the lawn maintenance. It’s also an excellent time to apply a half-inch of compost (to provide a boost to the roots) and finish any aerating. Herbs
March is the end of the line for winter herbs like cilantro. And this year, it looks like it may have been the end of the line for many rosemary plants, which don’t normally receive polar temperatures in their Mediterranean homelands. Rosemary can always be cut back. But if it must be replaced entirely, at least it’s one of the easiest and fastest herbs to grow. Perennials and roses
Avoid cutting everything to the ground — many birds, lizards and other animals will be nesting soon. If you normally cut back your perennials in March, the main difference you’ll notice is a lot more deadwood above ground this year. Rule of thumb: cut back until you see green, or down to four inches, whichever comes first. And save a few for the wildlife this year.
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