WACO, Texas — After the winter storm that brought freezing temps for nearly a week to Central Texas, plants, trees and yards look dead. But that may not be the case.
“Most of it’s burned, just burned the foliage off of most everything, most everything is probably gonna be alright, or at least 75 percent," said Gregg Houck, owner and vice president of Westview Nursery in Waco.
The end of March is when most lawns and landscape get that "spring" look. The brown and dead look of the foliage is normal at this point, but the winter freeze did not help it.
Before you do anything drastic, the best thing to do is just be patient and wait, according to the Bell County Master Gardener Association's President Glen Milton.
“What they need to do at this moment is nothing, actually," Milton said. "We need to see how the grasses, how they handle this stress.”
While some people may think that oaks and other trees are dead, their leaves just haven't gotten the chance to come back. To have a tree like that removed from your yard could cost you thousands of dollars. Plus, some of these trees have been growing for thousands of years.
If you want to check on your tree, Houck said there is one thing you can do.
"They can go in there and check on the stems, take a little knife or your fingernail and scratch the stems, if they're still green they are probably still in good shape," Houck said.
If you really feel bent out of shape over your lawn, taking away some of the shrubs or hanging branches won't hurt. But the best thing to do is wait it out until at least April 1.
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