From the Sperry Gardens – February, 2011

As cold as it got, and as long as temperatures stayed well below freezing in our rural DFW landscape, I figured that I’d find browned, brittle leaves on my cast iron plants when we pulled back the frost cloth earlier this week.

Much to my surprise, the frost cloth did a heroic job of saving my plants’ leaves. They’re green and unharmed. Sure, we’ll have a few to cut and remove, but we have a few every spring. Without the frost cloth, it would have been wholesale start-over by trimming the plants back to the ground. Ugh.

It’s always refreshing when something you recommend works well for you in your own garden, too. You say to yourself, "Why, my advice was pretty good, wasn’t it!" I keep a large roll of frost cloth on hand at all times, and I’m even more dogged to that cause now than ever before.

Note: frost cloth also protects spring color and vegetable beds from late frosts, too. If an unexpected cold snap catches you with your plants down, lay frost cloth over the tops of the beds, and secure it to prevent its blowing away. In almost all cases, you’ll have healthy, vigorous plants when you remove it.