- The rain and snow can actually help to protect your plants.
Rain or snow before a hard freeze can protect plants because moisture releases heat as it freezes, keeping plant tissue closer to thirty two degrees instead of dropping to much colder air temperatures. Wet soil holds warmth better than dry soil, and a layer of snow traps insulating air that shields plants from wind and sudden temperature swings.
- Brief deep freezes are normal in North Texas.
While twelve degrees feels extreme, it is not unusual for us to experience a two-day cold snap like this in January. The average January low in DFW is 36 degrees, but historical records show that brief dips into the low teens happen periodically and are already accounted for in our USDA hardiness zone and plant recommendations.
Hardiness zones are based on average annual minimums, not worst-case outliers, so short cold snaps like this are already baked into what perennial plants labeled for our area are meant to survive. For a low-maintenance garden, always choose native plants or plants hardy to Zone 7 or lower so you rarely need to cover them, if ever.
- Cover what you can, and don't stress about the rest.
My golden rule: If you are worried about something, go ahead and cover it so you don't lose sleep. But if you can't get to covering everything, don't beat yourself up about it. The only things that MUST be covered are veggies, annuals, containers, and anything planted within the last month.
I covered my vegetable garden, my front display garden (mix of annuals and perennials), and have moved most containers into the garage. But there are LOTS of things that I am completely ignoring. Frankly, I'm just really worn out after building new gardens for the past few weeks, and sometimes you just have to pick your battles.
One of my personal mantras is, "Something is better than nothing." Going to the gym for 20 minutes is better than not going to the gym at all. Weeding a teeny bit every few days is better than not weeding at all. Covering some things in your garden is better than not covering anything.
- This is exactly why choosing native and adapted plants makes your life easier (and saves you money).
On my way home from the grocery this morning, I passed a big estate where nearly everything in their yard was covered. Bushes, annuals beds, trees, groundcover, trellised vines... It was crazy. All that frost cloth benefits the landscape company’s bank account far more than it benefits the plants.
Native and adapted plants can tolerate brief lows like this.
- You’re doing more right than you think.
The goal isn’t to control every variable, it’s to garden in a way that supports you. When you choose plants adapted to North Texas and respond calmly to short cold snaps, you’re already doing it right. Cover what matters, let the rest go, and trust that your garden was built for this climate. That confidence is what turns gardening from stressful into sustainable.
CWL
Upcoming live classes:
Part Two of Indoor Seed-Starting, January 28, 6:30 pm (Part One replay available.)
Advanced Indoor Seed-Starting, January 30, 12:00 pm
Gardening 101, February 7, 10:00 am
Superb Spring Vegetable Garden, February 11, 6:30 pm
Fruit Trees & Berries, February 14, 10:00 am
Enroll now for just $40 per month (paid quarterly) and get unlimited access to all classes.
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