How to care for your plants post-freeze

Between the lines: Early cuts force plants to use up stored energy from their roots and wood that they'd normally use to push new growth.

• Without enough leaves to fuel themselves, they'll have less energy to recover later, potentially harming long-term health, Colin Lyman, Houston Botanic Garden associate director of horticulture, tells Axios.

Yes, but: If you have plants that have gotten very soft and slimy, it is better to remove the wet and rotting leaves.

• As they decay, they can become a host to many pathogens you do not want in your garden, Laura Webb, Houston Botanic Garden horticulturist, tells Axios.

The bottom line: Recovery takes patience.

• Some plants might bounce back quickly, while others need months. Wait for signs of new growth (or until mid-March) to prune woody plants, suggests Lyman.

🪴 My experience: Most of my native plants have bounced back after previous freezes, and, to my surprise, some tropical ones have too — including my trooper of a tiny guava tree (fingers crossed for it this time).

• That said, I've essentially given up on young citrus trees for now as the freezes have been too hard on them.