What will survive

[NBTX11]

All of the sabal palmetto around here look basically normal.  You would be hard pressed to find any difference other than maybe some weighed down fronds from the ice.

[amh]

Just now, Collectorpalms said:

I had almost all Sabals. There is so much ice it’s too dangerous to go out after the ice storm last night, but The only one that has a few feet of trunk that is not turning brown from my windows is Sabal palmetto, but it still looks bad. I have Palmetto, Mexicana, and Uresana not far from each-other. I was shocked to see the Uresana looks worse among those three. I was 4F and not been higher than 34F since Feb 11. Another record cold 2 days still expected here. So Feb 11- 19 is one week.

Today was the first day above freezing for me and I'm worried about Friday morning. I have some Sabal uresanas that I was planning on planting this spring, but now have reservations.

[Collectorpalms]

9 minutes ago, amh said:

Today was the first day above freezing for me and I'm worried about Friday morning. I have some Sabal uresanas that I was planning on planting this spring, but now have reservations.

Uresana at brothers house in NE Austin ( Hutto Taylor area, hit near zero. My house 4F), the ones at Grandpas Cabin in Hempstead Near Peckerwood Gardens saw around 8F, not nearly as bad as just 35 miles to the north were I reside, data below.

 

Edited February 18, 2021 by Collectorpalms

[amh]

9 minutes ago, Collectorpalms said:

Uresana at brothers house in NE Austin ( Hutto Taylor area, hit near zero. My house 4F), the ones at Grandpas Cabin in Hempstead Near Peckerwood Gardens saw around 8F, not nearly as bad as just 35 miles to the north were I reside, data below.

 

Did your brothers uresana survive? Too soon to know?

[Collectorpalms]

2 minutes ago, amh said:

Did your brothers uresana survive? Too soon to know?

Yeah, maybe if it’s a miracle. Their pindo is already looking dead.

Edited February 18, 2021 by Collectorpalms

[necturus]

My Uresana is the best looking unprotected palm or cycad in my yard.  The sagos all look like they are going to defoliate.  We didn't get nearly as cold as you all though.

[palmnut-fry]

Wow Collectorpalm- same look up here in the Big D. Snagged this shot out my bedroom of my S. bermudana earlier! Note my lucky Hot Springs Blankey on her! Along with 3 others! She's made it there in SW corner of house since '94 so...

Sun poking through, and we are projected to miss the percip you guys getting down there! So lucky~ never lost power ( though I screwed up with heaters & allowed it to drop to mid 20s other nite when it was frickin ZERO! Old stoney butt I am. Oh well...several greenhouse specimens scorched.  

Projected to be above freezing tomorrow but with this sun maybe see it this afternoon! PLEASE! 

PF

[palmnut-fry]

Oh dang! Those podocarpus don't look happy!  My bay tree was about to bloom. It'll look like doo doo soon. Takes awhile on some ornamentals and even some palms to show damage. I bet my Texas Mountain Laurel gets killed to ground- and the many nice ones around town that would;ve been blooming soon! DAMMIT

[amh]

Just now, palmnut-fry said:

Oh dang! Those podocarpus don't look happy!  My bay tree was about to bloom. It'll look like doo doo soon. Takes awhile on some ornamentals and even some palms to show damage. I bet my Texas Mountain Laurel gets killed to ground- and the many nice ones around town that would;ve been blooming soon! DAMMIT

The mountain laurels are still looking good, but the persimmons are defoliated.

[palmnut-fry]

Those icky-sweetness of grapes of wrath! They're pretty tough, huh?! Way under used but painfully slow to grow as most palms! LMAO

[amh]

4 minutes ago, palmnut-fry said:

Those icky-sweetness of grapes of wrath! They're pretty tough, huh?! Way under used but painfully slow to grow as most palms! LMAO

Slow starting, but they take off after about year 2.

[Silas_Sancona]

2 minutes ago, amh said:

Slow starting, but they take off after about year 2.

Yep, esp. if watered thru the summer.. just not too much.. Some are already starting to flower across from me atm. Golden Leadball Tree ( Leucanea retusa ) and Arroyo Sweetwood ( Myrospermum sousanum ) follow a similar pattern, albeit both are a tad faster than Tx. Mtn. Laurel.

[amh]

I think Mexican buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa ) is the earliest bloomer for my area. The pink flowers are always attention getting when everything else is still dormant.

[Silas_Sancona]

4 minutes ago, amh said:

I think Mexican buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa ) is the earliest bloomer for my area. The pink flowers are always attention getting when everything else is still dormant.

That's another tough as nails Tx. native that should be planted more.. Seen a few here but heat always nails them come summer if exposed to full sun.

[amh]

1 minute ago, Silas_Sancona said:

That's another tough as nails Tx. native that should be planted more.. Seen a few here but heat always nails them come summer if exposed to full sun.

They're a great under story plant and I'll be adding some this year.

On a positive note, the cold just might wipe out the Triadica sebifera that are taking over the low areas.

[Silas_Sancona]

2 minutes ago, amh said:

They're a great under story plant and I'll be adding some this year.

On a positive note, the cold just might wipe out the Triadica sebifera that are taking over the low areas.

Hope so,  It's an awful tree. Same With Tree of Heaven Tough call though since Chinese Tallow is supposedly hardy to 10F, possibly lower ( specimens w/ lots of mature wood ).. Going to be interesting to see how things play out over the next few months for sure..

[amh]

5 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Hope so,  It's an awful tree. Same With Tree of Heaven Tough call though since Chinese Tallow is supposedly hardy to 10F, possibly lower ( specimens w/ lots of mature wood ).. Going to be interesting to see how things play out over the next few months for sure..

Two nasty invaders, but I have to admit that Chinese Tallow would be a nice tree if it weren't so invasive.

[Fusca]

2 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Golden Leadball Tree ( Leucanea retusa ) and Arroyo Sweetwood ( Myrospermum sousanum ) follow a similar pattern, albeit both are a tad faster than Tx. Mtn. Laurel.

Local Leucanea retusa were blooming here last week before the polar vortex arrived.  Drive by them every day on my way home from work, but due to the weather and power issues I've been working from home this week so don't know how they look.  I'm blessed to still have power and water at my house. 

[Silas_Sancona]

2 minutes ago, Fusca said:

Local Leucanea retusa were blooming here last week before the polar vortex arrived.  Drive by them every day on my way home from work, but due to the weather and power issues I've been working from home this week so don't know how they look.  I'm blessed to still have power and water at my house. 

 While i'm sure they should be, with the duration of this particular event, hoping these don't suffer too much damage.  Another TX. native that shouldn't be so uncommon, outside of Texas at least..  Didn't realize they could bloom so early.

[Meangreen94z]

It will be interesting to see how the Sabal Uresana, Nannorrhops Ritcheana ,other palms ,and plants fair at John Fairey Gardens (formerly peckerwood), especially if it only dropped to 8*F in that area as CollectorPalms suggests. Obviously heavy losses, but some optimism.

Here’s a little color on a very gray day.

[palmnut-fry]

Ahhhh- the good old days before Snowmegden! Those blue Sabals are just gorgeous, not to mention the succulents & cactus! Hope not too much losses!

[Chester B]

3 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Hope so,  It's an awful tree. Same With Tree of Heaven Tough call though since Chinese Tallow is supposedly hardy to 10F, possibly lower ( specimens w/ lots of mature wood ).. Going to be interesting to see how things play out over the next few months for sure..

They will be just fine.  They're all over southern Ontario and regularly see 0F.  Zone 5B hardy, if not more so.

[necturus]

3 hours ago, amh said:

Two nasty invaders, but I have to admit that Chinese Tallow would be a nice tree if it weren't so invasive.

I saw a beautiful Chinese Tallow at LA County Arboretum and BG. Every once in a while you see a really beautiful one here with the bigger leaves that look like a bodhi tree. The rest look like crap. One of the first things we did when we moved in was take out a big tree that was way too close to the house. Still get seedlings everywhere. I hear it was popular in the 50s and 60s for its fall colors.

[necturus]

I think the palms at Fairey will be okay, except for the mules and robusta. They're probably dead.

Also worried about the big columnar cacti. Neos are tough but not that tough.  I had a young one that got damaged at 19.

[Meangreen94z]

26 minutes ago, necturus said:

I think the palms at Fairey will be okay, except for the mules and robusta. They're probably dead.

Also worried about the big columnar cacti. Neos are tough but not that tough.  I had a young one that got damaged at 19.

I received an email from them stating that they weren’t going to bother protecting anything(despite doing some protection in the past). That it was part of the experiment. I would have gone out there and dug up the Neobuxbaumia Polylopha and Echinocactus Grusonii for them had they given me notice. There’s no point in experimenting on plants that have been experimented with repeatedly. One big loss. 

[amh]

37 minutes ago, necturus said:

I saw a beautiful Chinese Tallow at LA County Arboretum and BG. Every once in a while you see a really beautiful one here with the bigger leaves that look like a bodhi tree. The rest look like crap. One of the first things we did when we moved in was take out a big tree that was way too close to the house. Still get seedlings everywhere. I hear it was popular in the 50s and 60s for its fall colors.

I've seen some really big ones that are very attractive, but they completely take over.

[Jimbean]

I hate Chinese Tallow trees.  Had a problem with them in north Brevard county. 

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Live oaks look like they'll burn/ partially defoliate.  

So far everything is burned except a few things- needle, minors and blue stems.   Several nolina species, hesperoyucca, multiple dasylirion species and agaves.  

The frost cloth protected trithrinax schizzy and campestris look fine.   

 

Mature sabals of all varieties, washingtonia, trachycarpus, butia, jubaea, brahea, nannorhorps, serenoa, med fans, all completely burned. As you can guess I've never seen burn this fast with many of these species never before burning.  

[amh]

Too early to tell, but it looks like a total loss in my area.

[NBTX11]

8 minutes ago, amh said:

Too early to tell, but it looks like a total loss in my area.

Total loss of what.  Palmettos and Filifera (if any exist in your area) will not be killed.  They have basically zero damage in New Braunfels. 

[amh]

Just now, NBTX11 said:

Total loss of what.  Palmettos and Filifera (if any exist in your area) will not be killed.  They have basically zero damage in New Braunfels. 

filifera or filibusta.

[NBTX11]

2 minutes ago, amh said:

filifera or filibusta.

Filifera are not going to die within a 80 mile radius of San Antonio, as long as they are actually pure Filifera.  I drove around today, and didn't even see one damaged, let alone near death.

Robusta on the other hand has already a lot of casualties.  Hybrids have varying degrees of damage.

Edited February 20, 2021 by NBTX11

[amh]

Just now, NBTX11 said:

Filifera are not going to die within a 80 mile radius of San Antonio, as long as they are actually pure Filifera.

second night was between 4 and -2, so I dont know yet.

[NBTX11]

No joke my large Filifera looks like nothing happened.  It looks like it's the middle of summer.  No leaf damage, no collapsing fronds, nothing.   Photo from today.

Edited February 20, 2021 by NBTX11

[amh]

Not sure of the exact species, but these look like goners. Haven't been within a hundred yards to identify by my abilities.

[amh]

This one may survive.

[Meangreen94z]

I didn’t leave any palms out, but the area looks rough. I saw some Butia showing heavy damage, but there was one in Lago Vista that looked surprisingly intact. Sabal Palmetto and both Washingtonia Filibusta and Filifera have their fronds folded over and  starting to brown. We had heavy ice both the Thursday and Sunday prior to the extreme cold weighing them down. We will know in a month or 2 what is recovering.

As far as my yard I had a Yucca Rigida the weight of the ice bent both trunks. I unwrapped both my Agave Ovatifolia and “Blue Bell Giant” this morning.  The Ovatifolia hasn’t shown damage after thawing(yet), the Blue Bell Giant shows a little burn currently but looks and feels surprisingly intact. Both were covered in ice prior to being covered with a frost blanket. Two nights of 4*F.

 

[NBTX11]

4 minutes ago, Meangreen94z said:

 Sabal Palmetto and both Washingtonia Filibusta and Filifera have their fronds folded over and  starting to brown.

All of those are looking good here.  No fronds folded over.  At least as of yet.  Robusta look like trash though. 

[amh]

Sagos are burned and if they survive, Cycas revoluta is good to 0F.

[Swolte]

My medi's start to look terrible. Causiarum still green and fine for now. That thing may actually pull through... we'll see, next week will paint a clearer pic. 

3 hours ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

The frost cloth protected trithrinax schizzy and campestris look fine.   

 That is good to hear. I'll be lifting the blanket off my thrithrinax Acanthocoma tomorrow... How is your inventory, more generally?  (asking for a reason... :p). I have heard of nurseries losing power and finding cracks in their greenhouses.