GARDENING BY THE MOON
By: Dr. Robert E. Moon Harvest Horticulturist
Many of you have Italian Cypress, Cedar or Juniper plants that suffered from the recent freezing event. The damage is just now showing up on these plants. If your plants have damage, you will first see branches turning gray and discolored followed by these branches turning brown. If these trees turn brown, they die and they will not re-grow easily. This damage creates big, open areas or voids in the plants which are very unsightly.
The freeze also caused the bark on these plants to spit creating open wounds that are susceptible to many diseases: Seiridium canker, Botryosphaeria canker, twig blights, rust, root rot, sooty mold, etc. Many of these diseases have no effective control. The best solution is to remove the plants and replace with plants that are not as susceptible to winter injury.
I would suggest planting one of the magnolia trees such as Claudia Wannamaker, Teddy Bear or Alta. Or plant a holly variety such as Nellie R. Stevens, Oak Leaf, or Mary Nell. All of these trees performed well in the freezing temperatures. If you replace with the same cypress, cedar or juniper, another freezing event could take them out again.