Comments on: Albuquerque Gardening, A Challenging Climate

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:28:16 +0000

I live in Las Cruces, NM and we too have harsh cold snaps. We are usually around 5 degrees warmer during the cold seasons. Last years February freeze damaged numerous plants and trees including Mexican fan palms that have been around for over twenty years.

Most Oleander around Las Cruces have come back you just have to be patient. Usually until mid summer before seeing signs of life.

Thanks for this great post.
Paul

By: adobenido

adobenido — Fri, 20 May 2011 22:19:05 +0000

We waited and waited to no avail….the oleanders are dead…all over town. They have been handling sub freezing temps for years, but several nights of sub ZERO was too much, and many of the nandina thought so too. This weather was so severe that our neighbors 30+ year old ash trees are very damaged as well. A very anomalous winter, indeed.

By: dkzody

dkzody — Sat, 14 May 2011 17:51:22 +0000

Oleander will come back after a freeze. It is grown in the median of the freeways here in California, and one year the freeze was so bad as to kill the oleanders back. Just left to their own devices, meaning no watering or pruning, they were back to normal by the next winter. It is an unbelievably hardy plant. Same for those nandinas. Gosh, I wish the cold weather would kill some of mine. They just keep propagating!

By the way, I am coming to your fair city in June and hoping for warm temperatures.