On Easter weekend, while we were gone, there were two nights of freezing weather. The bushes along side our front sidewalk turned brown. On some of them I don’t see any green leaves, as you can see in the pictures below. What should I do about this? Can they be saved?
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Hi Gary,
it looks like from the close up pic that there might be some buds yet on those branches but I could be mistaken….otherwise I would have to think that its not looking good for your bushes in their present condition. I will check with my mom if whether or not she thinks pruning to stimulate new leafy growth may help. It might help to know what kind of bush, etc. and check with a local nursery or garden center also.
The bush is a Loropetalum of some kind. Actually we have two kinds: pink and burgundy (flower color). I’m not sure which these are.
Keep watering them. If they are only damaged, then they’ll come back. If they are completely damaged, then they are dead and nothing can be done.
Always make sure that your mulch is at least 4 inches deep. This helps to keep the top soil warm on cold nights.
You could break one of the lower (less conspicuous) branches to see if is still green.
Too bad if they’re dead. That’s a bummer.
David
Hey, Uncle Gary,
my folks are having similar problems with some of their rose bushes. Talking to my mom, she said that the bushes should not be dead but come back on their own. Pruning may help to encourage new growth, she is trying that with some as an experiment but unlike roses your bushes may look nicer if they maintain a shape. We can hope for the best!
Thanks for all the advice!
I found a few very healthy leaves popping out at the bottom of one of the plants! I am hoping, hoping, hoping, hoping… 😛
Great! I hope they do come back!