PHOTO: Kim Gourlay
Frost melt is not always fatal
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By Jan Werner
GARDEN SEEDS: How do you know a plant will be ok in frost? Winter can be bleak if all your plants melt away into ugly black sticks.
Plant labels often don’t include a frost guide.
Fortunately the internet comes to the rescue. The United States is split into ‘hardiness zones’, and the Yass Region is most like US Zone 9a.
You can generally locate the zone a plant is suitable for with a quick online search. This even works for a lot of Australian natives, which are popular in the US.
In my experience, established plants labelled ‘frost hardy’ should survive the -7 degree Celsius frosts we’ve been getting this winter (no promises!).
‘Frost sensitive’ plants may die back in frosts up to -2 degrees, and they may not come back in spring if it gets any colder.
Established plants that melted in the frost will often grow back from their roots when the ground warms (and they’ll get hardier each year).
If you really like the plant try to wait until summer before you give up on them.
What are your favourite frost hardy plants?
* You can keep up with Jan’s gardening tips here.
* Graphic thanks to Australian Certified Organic.
