Cold Hardy Plants

COLD TOLERANT PLANTS

If you have decided to replace plants that were lost in the hard freeze with more cold-tolerant selections, here is a list of plants that we left unprotected during the recent cold snap (Feb 2011) that showed little or no damage. Remember that cultural practices, microclimates, and plant health can all affect cold hardiness.

Annuals – Pansies, Violas, Petunias, Dianthus, Snapdragons, Kale, and Poppies.

Perennials – Candytuft, Verbena, English & Spanish Lavender, Desert Penstemon, Mexican Evening Primrose (Oenothera); various Iceplant (Drosanthemum and Delosperma)

Flowering evergreen shrubs (medium to large) – Pineapple Guava (Feijoa); Viburnum Spring Bouquet; Rhaphiolepis species (Indian Hawthorne); Flower Carpet and Knock Out Roses; Rosemary (trailing and upright); Leucophyllum species (Texas Ranger); Hybrid Tea and Floribunda Roses

Flowering deciduous shrubs – Chaste Tree (Vitex); Pomegranite ‘Wonderful’ (Punica); Pink Fairy Duster (Calliandra)

Flowering shrubs (small/medium) – Damianita (Chrysactinia); Salvia species; Red Yucca (Hesperaloe)

Evergreen shrubs and palms – Dwarf Olive (Little Ollie); Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina species); Red Tipped Photinia; Red Berried Pyracantha; Mock Orange (Pittosporum); Arizona Rosewood (Vauquelinia); Mediterranean Fan Palm (Chamaerops) ; Ornamental Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis)

Grass and grass like – Muhlenbergia ‘Regal Mist’; Desert Spoon; Mexican Tree Grass (Dasylirion); Yucca rigida; Euphorbia rigida

Vines – Tangerine Cross Vine; Purple Wisteria; Tombstone Rose (Banksai); Honeysuckle (Lonicera); Carolina Jasmine (Gelsemium); Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum); Cecile Bruner Rose

Evergreen trees (small) Pineapple Guava (Feijoa); Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora); Mastic (Pistacia lentiscus); Weeping Bottlebrush (Callistemon)

Evergreen trees (large) – Eldarica Pine; Oak (Quercus virginiana)

Deciduous/Semi-deciduous trees – Purple Leaf Plum (Prunus); Chinese Pistache (Pistacia chinensis); Ash (Fraxinus species); Desert Willow (Chilopsis); Mesquite (Prosopis); Chaste Tree (Vitex); Oak (Quercus buckleyi [texana]); Desert Museum Palo Verde (Parkinsonia)

Cacti & Succulents – Agave parryi Truncata; Agave ocahui; Native Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), Saguaro, most Prickly Pear (Opuntia)., and most Barrel Cactus.

Remember! Even cold-tolerant selections are somewhat vulnerable to cold when newly planted; cover newly planted items with frost cloth if freezing temperatures are predicted.