By NC State Extension Master Gardener^SM Karen Szafran

January 2026 was generally colder than normal in Brevard and throughout Western North Carolina. A cold front around January 15th brought overnight lows into the 10s and 20s and even single digit readings in some areas of the county. Another arctic front around January 23-25th brought ice and extremely cold windy conditions. By late January daytime temperatures often remained in the 20s. While this is not arctic by a long shot, it is for our plants, trees, and shrubs, many of which are neither hardy nor acclimated to these constant low temperatures. With such weather extremes even zone-appropriate plants can come under great stress and sustain frost and freeze injuries.

According to NC State Extension, freeze damage in plants is largely the result of ice formation within the plant which causes cell membranes to burst, leading to plant death or damage. Leaves and stem tissues are most at risk for this type of damage. Frost and freeze damage can present itself differently in types of plants found in your landscape. Broadleaf evergreens like rhododendron, azaleas, hollies, laurels and boxwoods tend to have leaf scorch. Leaves curl and droop, then brown from the tips. Distal stems may turn brown and droop. In evergreens, coloration changes can occur. Needle evergreens like junipers may turn uniformly brown to bronze. The bark of woody plants and trees can develop frost cracks that may callus over in the summer. Damage to roots is harder to initially see but can definitely occur, especially in plants in containers where their roots aren’t protected below ground.

The sustained January freezing temperatures, winter winds, and accumulated snow and ice on plant branches certainly damaged some plants, but chances are a lot of them are still alive and will recover even though they might look rough right now. With most frost damaged plants, a wait-and-see approach is usually the best option. Herbaceous non-woody plants that are borderline for our area (like hardy lantana, calla, canna), as well as plants that are often evergreen through the winter (hardy ferns, Heuchera, Lenten Rose, and others) may have been killed to the ground. Leaving that now-dead aboveground tissue may provide a bit of temporary insulation for the plants that survived against the inevitable still coming spring freezes.

Many evergreen and semi-evergreen shrubs will simply drop damaged foliage and leaf out in spring with fresh growth. Other plants may die back partially, with new foliage and stems emerging from the lower portion of the plant. Woody plants react to cold damage as they would to pruning. The buds just behind the damaged leaves or stems initiate growth. The new growth becomes this year’s wood and takes over. The dead frozen tissue dries out and is shed or can be eventually pruned away.

So, the big question is what do gardeners do for plants if we see cold damage? It will usually take a few weeks to see damage from cold temperatures. It is best to wait, give the plants time to recover before assessing the damage. You can determine if branches are dead by scratching the bark with your thumbnail. If the tissue underneath is green, it is still alive. Don’t do extensive cleanup or a lot of pruning of woody plants just yet. Waiting until plants begin to leaf out or fail to leaf out in the spring will give you the best indication of what to prune. BE PATIENT! Plants like big leaf hydrangeas may not resume growth until as late as Mother’s Day. Also be aware that flower buds (except those that develop on new growth) were likely damaged by the cold temperatures, which could greatly reduce this year’s flower production.

Don’t be too quick to give up or get discouraged with cold damaged plants. Many will recover by putting out new growth in the spring and summer, though it may take longer for new growth to emerge and start to possibly fill in damaged areas. Wait until any threat of additional frost/freeze (Mother’s Day in Transylvania County) before fertilizing your affected plants. And make sure your plants receive adequate water throughout the upcoming growing season as they recover.

For more information about gardening in late winter and early spring, contact N.C. State Coopertive Extension, Transylvania County Center, at (828) 884-3109 or visit in person at 106 E. Morgan St. in Brevard.