Today I’m taking a look at all the remaining plants in my garden: my small succulents and cacti, vines, and groundcovers, as well as bulbs and rhizomes and a few annuals. I grow some of my small succulents in pots, and I’m omitting from this list any that I was able to bring indoors that freezing week.

But first, the backstory.

Texas gardeners are feverishly comparing notes about plant survivors and croakers after February’s Big Freeze. I’m doing the same and documenting how every plant in my garden fared. Please see my first post in this series for the introduction and for notes about my trees.

Asterisks indicate plants native to Texas. Plants that were stunted, maimed, or killed by the freeze are in bold, for easier searching.

Succulents & Cacti

• Aloe ‘Blue Elf’: Killed in a pot. My plant had survived about 15 winters in its pot until this year.

• Aloe maculata (formerly Aloe saponaria) – Soap aloe: 1 killed, 2 maimed, and others killed to the roots. Despite this tally, I’m actually really impressed by the survivors. I’ve been growing a trio for about 10 years in a bed with a sunny wall for protection. One of those melted and had to be removed. The other two survived, albeit with squishy arms that had to be cut off. I replaced the one that died with a pup from a pot I’d brought inside, and all three are now blooming. Another cluster in a less protected spot in the garden died to the roots but are coming back.
• Bulbine frutescens – Orange bulbine: Killed in a container. Yellow bulbine: Killed in a raised bed.
• Delosperma cooperi – Ice plant: Killed in a container.
• Echinocereus pectinatus var. coahuila – Coahuila lace cactus: Killed in a container.
• Euphorbia rigida – Gopher plant: Survived like a champ and bloomed soon after the thaw.
• Euphorbia rigida ‘Winter Blush’ – Gopher plant ‘Winter Blush’: Survived like a champ and bloomed soon after the thaw.

• Opuntia cacanapa ‘Ellisiana’ – Spineless prickly pear*: Killed to the ground and only just now starting to come back from the roots. I’m surprised this native opuntia was so devastated, but at least it’s alive.
• Opuntia ficus-indica – Indian fig: Killed to the ground and only just now starting to come back from the roots.
• Opuntia gomei ‘Old Mexico’*: Killed to the ground. I cut it back to the trunk-like bottom layer, and it soon started coming back from the roots. It has had the quickest return rate of all my opuntias.
• Sedum palmeri – Palmer’s sedum: Completely unfazed in the ground.
• Sedum reflexum ‘Blue Spruce’ – ‘Blue Spruce’ sedum: Completely unfazed in a pot.
• Sedum spurium ‘Dragon’s Blood’: Completely unfazed in a pot.

Vines

• Bignonia capreolata ‘Tangerine Beauty’ – ‘Tangerine Beauty’ Crossvine*: Some top growth turned brown, but it swiftly recovered and flowered soon after the freeze.
• Clematis pitcheri – Purple leatherflower*: Completely unfazed. It was dormant during the freeze but leafed out normally afterward.

• Clematis ‘Rooguchi’: Completely unfazed. It was dormant during the freeze but leafed out normally afterward.
• Clematis viticella ‘Etoile Violette’: Completely unfazed. It was dormant during the freeze but leafed out normally afterward.
• Lonicera sempervirens – Coral honeysuckle*: Completely unfazed. It was dormant during the freeze but leafed out normally afterward.
• Mascagnia macroptera – Butterfly vine, or gallinita: Killed back completely, but there are a couple of tiny tendrils coming up from the roots. I cut down the woody vine and am watching to see if it will recover.
• Solanum jasminoides – White potato vine: Killed back completely, but there are a few tendrils coming up from the roots.
• Trachelospermum jasminoides – Star jasmine: Killed back completely, but there are a few tendrils coming up from the roots.

Groundcovers

• Asparagus densiflorus ‘Myersii’ – Foxtail fern: Killed to the ground, but the snow cover saved them. Nearly all of my many plants recovered swiftly to full size except a couple of newly planted ones and those in containers that were left outside.
• Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Bath’s Pink’ – Cheddar pink ‘Bath’s Pink’: Completely unfazed.
• Oxalis triangularis – Purple oxalis: A big one in a pot was killed, but others in the ground came back from the roots.
• Polygonum capitatum ‘Magic Carpet’ – Pink knotweed: Killed to the roots with little signs of life except for a few small sprigs. Still, I’m fairly sure this tenacious plant will recover.
• Ruellia brittoniana ‘Katie’ – Dwarf Mexican petunia: Died to the roots as usual but coming back strong.
• Ruellia brittoniana ‘Southern Star Blue’ – Dwarf Mexican petunia: Died to the roots but coming back strong.

• Scutellaria ovata – Heartleaf skullcap*: Some freeze-burned top growth, but it quickly rallied and is lush and full and about to bloom.
• Scutellaria suffrutescens ‘White’: Died to the roots but coming back strong.
• Scutellaria x ‘Dark Violet’- Purple skullcap ‘Dark Violet’*: Died to the roots but coming back strong.
• Scutellaria wrightii – Purple skullcap*: Died to the roots but coming back strong.
• Stachys byzantina – Lamb’s ear: No damage except to a newly planted one. The others are completely fine.
• Stemodia lanata – Woolly stemodia*: Some die-back as usual, but this is a warm-season grower, so I’ll have a better idea by the end of May.
• Tradescantia pallida – Purple heart: Died to the roots as usual but has already made a full recovery.
• Verbascum spp. – Mullein: Completely unfazed and a couple are about to bloom.

Bulbs & Rhizomes

• Allium tuberosum – Garlic chives*: Completely unfazed. It was dormant during the freeze but leafed out normally afterward.
• Iris germanica – Bearded iris: Completely unfazed.
• Iris spuria – Spuria iris, gold: Completely unfazed.
• Lycoris aurea – Yellow spider lily: Too early to tell for these fall-blooming bulbs.
• Lycoris radiata – Spider lily: Too early to tell for these fall-blooming bulbs.
• Rhodophiala bifida – Oxblood lily: Too early to tell for these fall-blooming bulbs.
• Zephryanthes ‘Labuffarosea’ – Pink rain lily: Look fine but haven’t bloomed yet.

Annuals

• Capsicum annuum ‘Black Pearl’ – ‘Black Pearl’ ornamental pepper (behaves as a perennial some years): I may have to reclassify this as a perennial. This “annual” has come back from the roots for several years and is coming back again this year. Amazing!
• Cuphea llavea – Bat-face cuphea (behaves as a perennial some years): Same with this one. It’s coming back from the roots.
• Lupinus texensis – Texas bluebonnet*: Completely unfazed (except by the deer, which eventually ate them all).

This wraps up my inventory of all my plants two months after the epic February freeze. Click for my earlier posts about:

• Trees
• Shrubs, Sub-Shrubs, & Woody Perennials
• Perennials
• Woody Lilies and Bromeliads
• Grasses, Sedges, and Bamboos
• Small Succulents, Cacti, Vines, Groundcovers & More

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Digging Deeper

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