When it comes to cold snaps in South Texas, neighbors are generally concerned about protecting the "four P's"—people, pets, pipes, and plants. One popular plant here along the coast is palm trees, many of which people have planted in their backyards. Palm trees can cost hundreds of dollars, so many palm tree owners take extra precautions to protect their beloved tropical plants when colder weather hits the Coastal Bend.
“If you want that island vibe, and that feel, you kind of have to nurture what you plant. And it’s just like having a child in my opinion. He’s a baby, he’s only three years old. So yeah, he needs some nurturing and some warmth," Jo Ann Garza, a Padre Island neighbor, said.
Jo Ann Garza has lived on the island for five years, and every time colder weather is expected to hit, she and her husband take the time to wrap up the bases of their palm trees using insulated blankets and bungee cords.
“Since we moved, we kept our moving blankets and as you can see, with bungee cords, we just wrap em and it’s pretty easy and so far so good," Garza said.
Other neighbors have tried the "palm tree wrapping method," but have had no luck.
“They all died. They all died. We wrapped them. We did everything we thought we were supposed to do and they still died," Kym Luce, a Flour Bluff neighbor said. “Had our yard put in by a professional landscaper and we were assured that everything was going to live through the frost, and as you can see, it didn’t.”
Several of the Luce's Queen palms, Foxtails, and Cuban palm trees died during the previous cold snap in January. That time, Luce said her and her husband wrapped their palm trees using cardboard and plastic.
“We’re just gonna have all of this ripped out.” Luce said.“This was twelve thousand dollars worth of work. And now here I am, gonna spend several thousand to replace them all.”
Luce does not want anyone else to have to deal with the financial hit of replacing these plants that she is dealing with.
"We're gonna use a new landscape company to get them replaced. They came out yesterday," Luce said.
Islander Jo Ann Garza chooses to do her own landscaping of her palm trees and other plants.
“We’ve lost two. And we’ve replaced ‘em," Garza said. “And we’ve learned a lot since then. The wrapping of it, making sure that the heart of the palm is well-insulated.”
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