Bay Area Gardening Q&A: Should I prune frost damage now?

Q. Some of my plants have gotten hit pretty hard by recent frost, and I’m wondering what I should do about them. They look so bad. I don’t mind the ones in the backyard as much, but I take pride in the appearance of my home, and the blackened plants out front look horrible.

Should I prune them? Are they dead? Should I dig them up and start all over?

Julia P., Pleasant Hill

A. Resist the urge to do anything for just a little bit longer. Pruning most plants now, while satisfying, could lead to more damage.

Around this time of year, we always get tricked into thinking winter is over. We have a spate of cold weather and overnight freezes, then we moved into a warmer spell. The danger of more freezes, however, is not over. Historically, the threat of frost can linger into early February.

If you prune now, the plant will put out new, tender growth, which will be vulnerable when that late winter frost hits. I know your plants might look horrible — I have a few that do, too — but try to look the other way for at least another month.

Before pulling out plants, wait until spring to see if new growth is coming. You can then prune away the dead parts. Some plants go dormant in the winter and only look like they’re dead, so research your plants to know whether they were truly killed by the frost or whether they are just sleeping.

Annuals — plants that only live for one season — can be removed at any time.

There are some plants that need a late winter pruning, chief of these being roses. My favorite time for pruning roses is Super Bowl Sunday. It’s an easy date to remember, and there’s plenty of time before the game to get a reasonably-sized rose garden in shape. Nobody needs to watch that many pre-game shows anyway.