Whistling past the graveyard of record cold
The wilted, shriveled, and browned plants were paraded across the screen yesterday for sympathy and our mutual edification on what record cold weather can do to plants on the verge (or far north of) their hardiness zone. With another record low in the teens predicted tonight, let’s avert our eyes from those poor victims and look instead on the bright and cheery colors of plants that are more tolerant of cold snaps.
Many succulents and cacti become quite colorful in winter months—or when stressed by drought (we get lots of that!). Take the purple prickly pear (Opuntia macrocentra), for example. In winter it goes from a nice bluish green to this vibrant purple.
Here’s the whole plant in its purpleness. Sadly, it seems afflicted with cochineal scale, which I hope won’t prove fatal. Click the link for more info on this prickly pear pest.
Yucca flaccida ‘Bright Edge’ is a Miami sunset in winter.
Summer’s yellow-and-green striping becomes tinged with pink and orange in cold weather.
Beautiful, isn’t it?
‘Angelina’ sedum is used much farther north of Austin for its vibrant orange color as the weather chills. The tips of this one are beginning to show some color. Maybe ‘Angelina’ will keep the golden barrel cactus tucked in and warm. I fear for it and the variegated American agave behind it, although yesterday morning both of these still looked healthy.
Aloe saponaria is another succulent that shows pretty color at its tips when stressed. Of course, tonight may be the stress that pushes it over the edge. (Whistling loudly)
No cold snap will hurt these, I think. Tough, native softleaf yuccas (Y. recurvifolia) march along with nary a care while lesser souls give up the ghost.
My prized ‘Whale’s Tongue’ agave (A. ovatifolia) is considered one of the more cold-hardy varieties, and I read that it’s survived cold Dallas winters, so I think I’m safe here. Its frosty color matches the general look of Austin right now.
Central Texas gardeners, let’s all whistle loudly as our gardens endure another night of bitter cold, and hopefully the graveyard will be out of sight in the morning.
All material © 2006-2010 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
I love the Opuntia in in the purple pot. Did you plan for that, or was an fortuitous. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for your plants.
I planned that purple pot match, MMD. I found the pot after I’d potted the cactus in terracotta and realized the potential for a winter color combo. It worked! —Pam
Wow, your garden seems to be weathering (ha!) the cold quite well. I’ve already lost a bunch of agaves and had an Aloe saponaria turn to mush. The Santa Rita prickly pear looks gorgeous, though. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it so close to matching its pot!
My aloes may be history too after tonight. Too early to tell now, and we may have to wait a few days or weeks for the full damage to be known. —Pam
I do hope you escape the worst with your nighttime dipping to the teens. I’d be amazed if anything could live past that kind of cold. Never realized the agaves change color in winter. The purple (opuntia) is not something I would have expected but surely looks good in its matching container.
Thanks, Meems. The agaves don’t really change color, but the aloes and some yuccas do, as well as other small succulents. It’s apparently the stress that does it, whether cold or drought, but they’re prized for it. —Pam
Keeping my fingers crossed for you. I have the same Yucca flaccida (Y. filamentosa, it’s one of those lumper/splitter debates) currently invisible under the snow. The green form grows wild all over the mountains. Down in town I drive by a big patch of Opuntia on my regular route. Been there the whole time I have. It does not get the nice color of your ‘Santa Rita’ though.
Yes, I’ve seen the yucca labeled both ways. I’ve stuck with flaccida because that’s how it was labeled at the nursery where I bought it. There are so many Opuntias, and I covet quite a few of them. The ‘Santa Rita’ is one of my faves because of that purple color. I hope you can stay warm enough in the cozy cabin, Christopher. You are having a mighty cold winter up on the mountain. —Pam
I’m glad some plants have weathered the storm with little or no ill effect. I love the colors in the Yucca. Must look out for that one. My santa rita doesn’t look as pretty as yours. Mine looks as though it has some kind of fungus.
It’s not afflicted with cochineal scale too, is it? It’s an ugly condition when an opuntia gets really infested. —Pam
Thank you for giving me another reason to love my succulents 🙂
There are so many good reasons, aren’t there? —Pam
Bravo! So happy to see the whales tongue looking so chipper. If my experience holds true (and I think mine were probably a ton wetter and thus more prone to death) your A.americana variegata will pull through fine, fingers crossed. You get extra credit points for the matching Prickly pear and container, very nice! And I am excited to see your Aloe saponaria looking so good, I was considering offering a few of my pups up to the weather gods by planting them in the ground as a test. You’ve pushed me a little closer to doing so! Good luck tonight, sending warm thoughts your way!
Thanks, Loree. Wait and see what happens to my Aloe saponarias before you put yours in the ground. They’ve come through several freezes in the mid- to upper 20s with no problem. But the teens may be a different story. —Pam
I checked the temperature this morning @ 6:00. It was 8..that’s eight degrees. I went back to bed.
By 8:00, it was all the way up to 10 degrees. I’m afraid I might be replacing a lot of things here. I’ve babied my Thryallis and some cacti…covered and uncovered…for weeks, now. But, last night could have been the end.
Hope the cold lets up soon. And, we could use some rain again, too.
Ooh, that’s cold, Linda. It just goes to show how much colder the Hill Country can get compared to Austin, even though you’re not very far away. I hope your plants survive, and yes, rain would be nice too. —Pam
Prickly pear is native even here in Michigan, though it doesn’t get so nicely purple, but instead crinkles up so the cells don’t burst in the expansion and contraction of winter temps. Here’s a photo as it prepares for winter, before it’s covered in snow. Aloes are toast here in winter, but some yuccas make it. I don’t think agaves do, which is sad as I love them. Glad they’re OK with you, though!
Are you in zone 5, Monica? Harvard agaves are said to be hardy there. —Pam
Ah, there’s beauty in everything. Somewhere. So sorry it’s so cold. I hope everything that looks brown is actually OK and comes back!
I have my fingers crossed, TM, but my expectations are set for “rational.” I’ll know after temps warm back up. —Pam
Thanks for your post! I’ve taken all of the precautions that I am willing to take, and I am eager to see what plants will be standing when the weather warms. I am hoping that my Meyer lemon makes it. I am eager to hear how your plants fare.
“All of the precautions I am willing to take”—that’s the key, isn’t it? There’s only so much we can do, and only so much it seems worth doing. After that we just have to wait and see. I hope your lemon makes it, Jennifer. —Pam
The first photo looks like a watercolor painting to me. I love just reading about Miami sunsets when it is -1F here. The colors are beautiful.
That yucca does provide some visual warmth, doesn’t it? -1F sounds awfully cold to me. Stay warm. —Pam
I have Santa Rita on order for the garden center this spring, and I am always complaining to the accessories manager that we never have enough purple or pink pots. I see a colorful convergence coming in our future.
Yes, indeedy! Pot up a few of those in purple pots, and I bet they’ll be snapped up. They do look best in winter though. —Pam
I can’t believe these temperatures! Your Whale’s Tongue is not letting the cold bother it one bit. Oh, well, I’m whistling and crossing my fingers as I look at my garden. :/
It’s all we can do at this point, Amy. Whistle, whistle. —Pam
Sorry to see some of the cold damage. I am happy for you that the Whale’s Tongue is ok. These have been some crazy temperatures.
I’ll have more damage to show next week. My aloes are mush, and maybe the mangaves. Still, there’s plenty of green out there too. —Pam
Thank goodness the Whale’s Tongue is okay! The yuccas here, in pots even, still are unfazed by the below normal, well below freezing for days, or is it weeks on end. The new plant delights catalog had several yuccas that looked worthy. You’ve got me hooked, Pam! 🙂
It certainly seems like weeks. I’ve been holding my breath for the last several nights, watching the thermometer go down, down, down. Glad to have gotten you hooked on the spikes, Frances. —Pam
Yes, today I’m rejoicing in all that looks okay. And crossing fingers about the ones that look marginal. But the ones that made it through drought and 10 degrees yesterday get my respect, for sure! I’m sure sorry about the coccineal scale. I hope it doesn’t come this way.
I read that the scale is transmitted from one opuntia to another via birds’ feet, so it seems it could cross town quite readily. I see it all the time on the opuntias growing along the greenbelts. Luckily it doesn’t necessarily kill the plant unless the infestation is severe. —Pam
Eek, it’s scary. I never would have thought your aloe would survive as well (did it make it through last night??). Last night was our coldest so far. I’ll need a job for sure before spring so I can afford to replace all the dead plants! Maybe you could make some dye from your cochineal. 😉
I think they may be mush, Jean. But a couple that were covered may be all right. That’s the worst—to know you might have saved them all if you’d just blanketed the entire garden. —Pam
What a winter….I am glad that your WT is a survivor. There are some plants that might be very dear to replace; especially at the size they’ve grown into. We’ll assess the damage here in weeks to come~~I am ready for normal to return;) Gail
So am I, Gail, and we were much closer to normal today. Ahh. —Pam
Thanks for the cochineal info. I have a mild infestation and was wondering what to do.
I found that page helpful too, Kathleen. —Pam