Expert: C.L. Fornari - 12/11/2004

Question
Hello,

I am in san diego, ca, and planted 9 bogenvia on a south-facing slope about 6 months ago.  They came out of 2 gal pots, and grew and blossomed quickly.
Recently, we had about 2 inches of rain over a week, then frost and sub-freezing tempatures at night for a week.

The bogenvia have died.  The leaves and blossoms are all dead.  Will they come back, or do I need to pull them and replace with something else?

If they had more time to grow, would they have lived?

Thank you!

Answer
David,
Don't write your plants off just yet... it is possible that they will come back from the base of the stem.  I would wait until late Jan or Feb and see if there is any new growth when the sun starts getting warmer.  

It's impossible to say if they would have lived, although we know that established plants are more able to withstand extremes of temperature and water.  Once a plant has a well-grown root system, and more size, it has carbohydrates stored in those roots and stems that help it to say alive through extremes.

In mid to late-February, if they haven't shown signs of life, replace them.  Water the new plants regularly (deep soaking every five days is better than a little every day) and don't fertilize through the first year.

I hope this helps!
C.L.