Texas A&M AgriLife horticulturists: Protect landscapes from freeze

One-page guide offers plant selection, care tips

Writer: Gabe Saldana, 956-408-5040, [email protected]
Contact: Daniel Cunningham, 972-952-9223, [email protected]

DALLAS – A few simple practices can give outdoor plants a chance to survive the coming freeze, but picking the right plants ahead of planting is the best defense against low winter temperatures.

That’s the seasonal message from horticulturists of Water University, a joint public outreach program on water conservation and quality protection by Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

“The best cold defense is choosing plants that are cold-hardy to their region, or cold-hardiness zone,” said Daniel Cunningham, AgriLife Research horticulturist at Dallas. “A plant that is native or adapted to its zone will be naturally resilient to all commonly occurring conditions there, including normal low winter temperatures.”

A new one-page publication from the Water University program, Right Plant, Right Place for Winter, covers the proper selection and placement of plants according to their cold-hardiness zones. The free resource provides instructional graphics on winter plant care and where to find additional plant information.

A cold-hardiness zone map helps Texas readers select the right plants for their zones. A section about irrigation reviews proven techniques for keeping plants hydrated while defending against freeze, Cunningham said. Another section defines native and adapted plant types according to their expected longevity and care needs.

“It’s basically a one-page guide that you can save on your phone or print and take to the store,” Cunningham said. “It’s the hyper-condensed version of all you need to make your plants work for you through winter.”

Download the free publication as an online PDF file at http://wateruniversity.tamu.edu/about/publications/.