Dead Plants Greeting Spring Gardeners

This year's cold winter took toll on gardens, yards

Gardeners are reporting more than the usual number of dead plants after this winter's bitterly cold weather.

Nurseries and home improvement stores are noticing extra business and bracing for more.

"People are now seeing the actual dead plants or the dead sod and want to replace them and it means a wonderful time for us," said James McGilberry of a Home Depot in Dallas.

"More of the tropicals, the palms and even some of the sod actually need to replaced early this spring time," he said.

The store saw steady business Monday from customers buying replacement plants.

"The freeze just killed some," Olivia Dyar said. "They were kind of old to begin with, but they didn't take that cold weather too well."

She is taking the expense in stride.

"It's just a rite of passage every year about this time to come to Home Depot and get plants," Dyar said.

Other merchants have Black Friday sales the day after Thanksgiving, but Home Depot will have its "black Friday" this week with special advertising for what it expects to be the biggest gardening week of the year.

"They see their neighbors out, and then they want to keep up with their neighbors on the appearance of their yard," McGilberry said. "And yes, this is our busiest time. This is our holiday shopping time if you want to put it in a retail term."

Gardeners across North Texas are already hard at work.

Clifford Rush said he did a heavy pruning job on some plants at a home where he works near Dallas Love Field, expecting those plants to recover this spring.

"Some things come back after winter is over with, and then some things don't," he said.

The cold weather killed a lot of plants, he said.

Nearby, resident Evette Newton cleared a flowerbed at her home, giving up on most of what was there.

"I just had to redo everything," she said.

But she said she is happy to make a fresh spring start in her garden.

"It's enjoyment for me; it's relaxing," Newton said.

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