Brrr. It got really, really cold - freezing cold. It even snowed in Malibu. Now, we are a bit more accustomed to cold spells (and snow) than Malibu, but it has been colder than normal here too. Jack Frost has been busy.

I went to my encyclopedia and looked up Jack Frost. Did you know that Jack Frost is an elfin creature originating in Viking folklore who personifies crisp, cold winter weather? He leaves frosty crystal patterns on windows and our foliage. Oh...they make him sound so cute.

I don't know about you, but I didn't see a cute little elvish guy in my garden. But I do have a garden with quite a few damaged plants. Around here, we can grow many of the less hardy plants - and I'm sure I'm not the only one who pushes the envelope a bit. Many of us are going to be coping with cold-damaged plants this spring. Here are a few tips to follow from today forth.

Be patient with your plants. The damage is done. And we might get more of these Arctic chills...who knows? Don't begin hacking away at damaged plants, pruning away what appears to be total destruction. It may not be. Many of our plants are highly resourceful and will recover. Here are a few tips:

Leave wilted foliage for now, this damaged foliage will actually offer cover to the unharmed foliage beneath. Once you are fairly sure there's no more danger of frost, gently remove the wilted dark leaves, but do not cut back the branches.

Chances are most branches have not been damaged. To test, use your fingernail to gently scratch the bark and look at the underlying plant tissue. It should be green or creamy and moist. Observe the leaf buds and watch them. As the warmer spring weather returns, these buds should start to plump up and you will know that new growth is beginning.

Once new leaves have begun to pop out on now-empty branching, you will see the extent of any freeze damage to the branches. If leaves sprout out along the whole branch... then excellent. But if there are areas on the branch where the leaf buds haven't developed and no leaves appear, this is the plant's way of telling you, "Cut me back to just in front of the first emerging leaf." That is how far back to prune.

There are also a few excellent precautions to take, when or if you know that a frost is coming to your garden. Cover plants with a sheet or plastic at night. Remove that cover in the morning to allow the next day's (hopefully) higher temperatures to warm up the plants and soil. Of course, if you have large tropical foliage plants, it becomes impractical to cover tree-height plants (unfortunately).

Now, enough of the "What to Do" information. What is actually happening to your plant? Why does the cold hurt it so much?

Freezing temperatures severely dehydrate plant tissues. Water in the plant tissue freezes and when this happens, the plant's cells expand, causing irreparable damage. It is only when the temperature rises that the damage to your plant becomes apparent. A "burned" appearance may start at the top of the plant on the highest leaves (or the leaves most exposed to the freezing temperature), working its way down the stem and on through to the lower leaves. This process does not manifest itself immediately, but certainly does within a day or so.

Think about the solutions utilized by the citrus growers and other large crop production: wind machines, smudge pots, water. Singly or working together, these techniques keep the ambient temperatures surrounding the crops higher than freezing. At least, they should in theory. But for homeowners, such procedures are not necessarily practical.

You will notice that plants next to your house have less (or no) damage. The cold air spills off the top of your house much like a liquid. Once it hits the ground, beyond the the eaves of the roof, this is where you will begin to see frost damage. If you cover the plants (of a size practical to do so) that are next to your house and those located away from the eaves, they may escape frost damage as well.

Many of us were taken a little by surprise. Not that the weather forecasters didn't tell us that we were getting an Arctic chill, but we hoped that chill wouldn't come down from the higher elevations and into our gardens. So, we'll all have frost damage to deal with. But give your plants time to let you know the depth or severity of the damage to each individual. With luck and caring, many of them will come back by spring.

To some of us, the pansy/viola is a happy, smiling face reminding us of a gardener friend from long ago. The first sign of that special flower brings a smile to our face and warmth to our heart. After all, this flower is known as the 'pixie' of the plant world. How perfect is that to have in your winter/spring gardens!

Sunset Western Garden Book tells us that botanically speaking, members of the genus Viola, which includes the pansy, viola and violets, are perennials. We just happen to treat them as annuals. The varieties that we grow are happiest in cool weather and have become known as one of our best winter bedding plants. Planting them now ensures wonderful color in your spring gardens.

There are many different cultivars of pansies and violas offering a wide range of colors and flower sizes: colors from white, yellow, apricot, violet, blue-purples, dusty rose and combinations of all of these colors! The flower sizes range from 1-4 inches.

Pansies like sun to light shade. If you plant them in deep shade, they will grow, but not reward you with as many flowers. Plant them toward the front of your flower beds along with your shrubs and other flowering bedding plants such as Iceland poppies, alyssum, lobelia, nemesia and all. You may not want to put them too close to the edge if your planter is next to your grass (scary weed whackers may chop off their heads!). But these plants love to trail and would be beautiful in raised beds, planters and window boxes!

Sometimes our pansies don't get a chance to grow up. Don't be too hard on yourself. This is not happening because you have a brown thumb. At times that six-pack coming from the grower has baby plants containing a fungal disease called Rhizoctonia which causes "damping off." In other words, the lower stem near the soil line with become constricted and dark brown. Usually, your little seedling pansy will die. That fungus thrives in wet soil. Knowing that this can be a problem, here are a few planting and care tips:

Plant the little root ball slightly high, or above soil level. This will keep the roots drier, especially after watering.

Water, but be careful to not to overwater.

Amend the soil with planting mix when planting to increase good drainage around the roots.

If you had a problem in one area of your garden with the fungus, switch and grow the pansies in another area for a year or so.

Once your pansies are getting established and blooming with smiling faces, don't forget to deadhead. Removing the finished blooms will increase the number of blooms and bloom time.

And here is the number one rule: start your morning with a stroll into your garden to gaze on all of these smiling faces. Oh sure, you can take your cup of coffee or tea along with you, too.

Many people garden successfully without ever testing their soil, but they are probably fortunate in gardening on ground that is not deficient in nutrients, is neither too acidic nor too alkaline, and receives plenty of nutrients anyway as part of normal cultivation. If things don’t seem to be growing well, a soil test is the best starting point for putting things right, and dedicated gardeners test their soil routinely once a year.

Professional soil testing is the most accurate for nutrients, but you can get a reasonable idea of the major nutrients in your soil with simple indicator kits. Testing for pH is quick and effective. (Bear in mind that kits vary from one manufacturer to another, so always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.)

The term pH is a scientific way of stating how acidic or alkaline something is. Soils vary in their degree of acidity or alkalinity. The scale goes from 0 (more acidic) to 14 (more alkaline), with 7 as neutral. Soils never reach the extremes, and horticulturally, 6.5 can be considered neutral in that it is the pH at which most plants will grow happily. Acid-loving plants, such as rhododendrons, camellias, peonies and heathers, need a lower pH and may develop chlorosis (a yellowing of the leaves) if grown in chalky soil. Chalk-loving plants like dianthus and lilacs prefer a pH of 7 or above.

These differences may sound small, but on the pH scale 1 point represents a ten-fold increase in acidity or alkalinity.

Testing the pH: Collect your samples and mix with water as described for nutrient testing, but for the pH test you don’t have to wait for the mixture to settle, and only the test chamber is filled with the solution. Clean tap water is used for the reference chamber. Add the indicator chemical provided with the kit, then put the top on and shake vigorously. Compare the color with the shade panel on the container for the nearest pH value.

Adding Lime to the Soil: Never add lime unless you have tested your soil first and know that it is necessary. Too much lime applied regularly can be harmful for your plants. Always check that you are applying the right sort of lime at the appropriate application rate. Your testing kit should contain advice about how much lime (which will vary with type) to apply to your soil to adjust the pH.

Old-fashioned cold frames made with brick or timber sides were not as light as modern aluminum and glass or plastic cold frames, but they were warmer. Glass sides let in more light, but also lost heat rapidly. Have the best of both worlds by insulating your glass-sided cold frame during the coldest weather, while taking full advantage of the glass sides in the spring and summer.

Sometimes there are small gaps between the glass and an aluminum frame. This does not matter in hot weather, but for winter warmth it’s worth sealing the gaps with draft-proofing strips sold for windows and doors.

Insulate the glass sides with sheets of expanded polystyrene. Cut it with a knife or saw. Measure accurately, allowing for the thickness of the material where sheets join at the ends. Push sheets into place so that they fit tightly.

In covering cold frames remember that cold frames of any kind benefit from a warm blanket thrown over them on very cold nights. A piece of old carpet is an ideal alternative. Put it in place before the temperature drops, and remember to remove it the next morning unless it remains exceptionally cold. Your plants need light and warmth.

Dave is a native Californian born in Redlands. He shares his life with his lovely wife Colette, 2 daughters Sherry and Amy, son-in-law Justin and, most recently, grandson Johnathan.

Dave started out mowing lawns in high school. At first conscripted to do the family lawn by his dad, Dave soon discovered that neighbors and friends were willing to pay him for lawn service. Later, Dave did landscape maintenance for Braswell's Health Care Facilities.

His inquisitive and investigative nature has played a large part in developing Dave's knowledge of plants and well as his love and respect for them. Through the years Dave has worked in other trades; however, working around plants, Dave says, is the best job he has ever had.