Hi Moms!
I don't have the best luck with gardening so I need some advice. In late Feb/early March I planted some Elephant Ear tubers based on the package directions. A few weeks after I planted them we had that cold snap and two days of snow. Do you think my tubers will grow? I dug one up to see if it had started sprouting and the bulbs were hard but didn't have any active sprouts. I have heard mixed advice about how long it takes them to grow after planting. Any advice?
I agree that they are most likely fine. I plant bulbs and they come back for several years. I only replant when they seem to be sparse in areas.
If there is a lot of sun, go with Texas NATIVES and you will get butterflies in addition to pretty flowers that don't need water and will come back year after year.
A few of my favorites:
Prairie Verbena - - clusters of purple or fuschia flowers on low, trailing plants
Lantana - - to me, the flowers don't smell sweet, but butterflies love them; buy dwarf varieties, because the old-fashioned lantana can grow about 3 ft. tall and 4 ft. wide.
Salvia - - many different hybrids now, lots of colors to choose
Moss Rose or Portulaca - - just a fun little plant that used to grow in my friend's mom front bed in Laredo
Milkweed - - so the Monarch butterflies have a host plant to lay their eggs on; the black & yellow-striped caterpillar would be fun to watch grow and change into a jade chrysallis with golden dots on it
Stores that sell organic stuff and NATIVE plants for butterfly and hummingbird gardens:
GreenMamas.com, 5324 Davis Blvd., North Richland Hills.
www.WestonGardens.com, on the south side of Ft. Worth. From the south loop of 820, exit Anglin Dr., go south to 8101 Anglin, seems like a long ways, but not a bad drive.
Redentas.com
DanielsDirt.com, 9559 Skillman, Dallas (I personally haven't been to this one, so call before you go.)
I'm betting they might be okay, but you will have to wait until it warms up more to see!
I agree that I don't think the cold snap has done any damage to them. I generally don't plant my elephant ears and caladiums until late March or early April, because it does take really warm weather to get them going. If they were hard, that means they weren't affected by the cold. If they had truly been frozen, or even frost-bitten, they would have some soft, almost mushy spots. Remember it takes several weeks of cold temperatures to affect the soil 6 or 8 inches below the surface.
E.
