Q: We moved south to get out of the cold winters, but we didn't go far enough. After the first bad cold spell this winter, we noticed the leaves of the evergreens starting to turn brown. Is there anything we can do to save them? Is it too late to cover them until spring?

A: What you are seeing is the first symptom of frost damage. By itself, it doesn't mean the plant will die. Leaves are often expendable, even on broadleaved evergreens like hollies, palms and rhododendrons. Although your other plants may not be showing any symptoms yet, they may also be frost damaged.

The first symptom is brown and dead leaves. Lawns and evergreen shrubs will show symptoms first. Plants with or without leaves may have bark and bud damage that won't be visible for a few days to few weeks. A week or two after a frost, green tissue will show just under the bark on live branches when scratched with a thumbnail.

The preferred treatment of frost-damaged plants is to just leave everything alone until spring. Dead leaves don't always mean a dead plant. Don't prune anything unless it is obviously dead. Wait until the plants are growing again, so live wood can be determined. Don't try to force growth by fertilizing or watering. There may still be more cold weather coming that would damage a plant that is trying to grow.

Covering plants works best if the cover goes all the way to the ground, doesn't touch any leaves, is waterproof and can insulate the plants. A blanket and plastic work better together than either alone. Covering works better for a frosty night and not against a cold weather system lasting for days. Plastic by itself that touches leaves transfers heat and allows the leaf to freeze. During the day the plastic acts as a greenhouse and overheats the plants.

Flower buds, flowers and fruit are the most frost-tender parts of almost every plant, so you may not have many flowers this spring. Every individual landscape has microclimates that cool off slower and warm up quicker, so the total of time that is below freezing is less in some parts of the landscape. The sun warms south facing walls and trees trap warmth released from the ground, even when the branches are bare, keeping areas near buildings and under trees slightly warmer. Your plants closest to buildings will have less damage and may bloom while the same kind of plant out in the landscape may not.

Palms cannot replace freeze-damaged water conducting cells in the trunk like other plants. A frozen palm may look fine until all the water in the trunk is consumed and then it will suddenly wilt and die. The central growing point of a palm tree already has next spring's leaves. If they are damaged by the cold, they will come out distorted and brown and may need to be pruned at that point.

Cold damage plants will be more susceptible to disease in the spring. You may need to have a certified arborist look at any trees you think are having problems. Fungicide and fertilizer treatments may be necessary to restore health to freeze damaged trees.

Email questions to Jeff Rugg at [email protected]. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.