Several freezes have wreaked havoc on landscape plantings, and Old Man Winter may not be through yet.
Though the average last frost in Central Florida is mid-February, cold weather could continue as late as the second week of March, Orange County urban horticulturist Tom MacCubbin said.
Here's a guide for what to do with damaged plants:
Use the scratch test to assess damage: With a knife or fingernail, scrape into the bark of trees, shrubs and stems of flowering perennials. If the area under the bark is bright green or yellowish, the tissue probably is alive and capable of growth. A browning of the underlying stem and trunk portions is a sign the tissue has frozen.
If you can't stand the brown any longer, you can prune the plants after they have begun to grow.
Palms: Cold-sensitive palms may have suffered some leaf burn. Prune only stems that are completely brown.
Annuals: Annual flowers such as dianthus, pansies, gaillardia and violas are survivors. Other winter annuals, including petunias, snapdragons and calendula, that have been frozen are likely to grow back from basal stems.
Bulbs: Foliage of bulbs, including crinums, amaryllis, lily-of-the-Nile and rainlily, plus leaves and stems of gingers and cannas, will decline, but new growth will return in the spring.
Landscape plants: Plants such as poinsettias, pentas, crotons, scheffleras, ornamental figs and papayas can be resurrected with spring growth from surviving basal buds.
Vegetables: Most cool-season vegetables, such as broccoli, onions, peas and potatoes, escaped the cold with minor browning to the outer leaves and stem portions. Cut off the brown and apply a light fertilizer. Continue to plant until the end of the month cold-tolerant crops that include the vegetables listed, plus carrots, cabbage, kale and collards.
Lawn: If your lawn has browned, don't rake it or add fertilizer. The brown material can help insulate the lawn against future freezes. Provide normal care. Mow and control weeds and water when the soil is dry. Delay feeding until late February.
As the springlike weather returns, lawns will begin to green. Make sure the turf has adequate moisture to produce the new growth. Use a pre-emergence herbicide to control unwanted weeds.