Will young trees recover after loss of foliage following recent freeze - Ask Extension
A lot of my young trees had new foliage during the recent frost and even some of my older trees lost new foliage. Trees that look terrible include sw...
Knowledgebase
Will young trees recover after loss of foliage following recent freeze #929675
Asked April 26, 2026, 2:01 PM EDT
A lot of my young trees had new foliage during the recent frost and even some of my older trees lost new foliage. Trees that look terrible include sweet bay magnolias, fringe trees, sourwood trees, black gums, and hackberries. Can I expect that they will send out a second set of leaves?
Howard County Maryland
Expert Response
We've received numerous questions about the frost/freeze damage from last week. Hardy plants do not retain their freeze tolerance once they have broken dormancy and begun to produce new growth, which is why temperature swings between very mild days and cold snaps in spring can be very damaging.
Nothing can heal the injured tissues, but healthy and well-established plants usually have enough energy reserves to produce new growth, though it may take them a few weeks to start to look normal again. It would be best to wait to see how the plant fares, and only trim tree or shrub branches if they remain bare (having no new growth) once the rest of the shrub leafs-out again. The wilted/singed leaves will eventually fall off on their own as they dry out.
We are still in a worsening drought, carried over from the past two years of insufficient rain. It would reduce plant stress to monitor them for watering needs and irrigate them periodically as needed. The linked page has watering guidance. Producing new growth requires ample root moisture, and the process can be hindered or stalled if a plant is too drought-stressed.
Miri
Nothing can heal the injured tissues, but healthy and well-established plants usually have enough energy reserves to produce new growth, though it may take them a few weeks to start to look normal again. It would be best to wait to see how the plant fares, and only trim tree or shrub branches if they remain bare (having no new growth) once the rest of the shrub leafs-out again. The wilted/singed leaves will eventually fall off on their own as they dry out.
We are still in a worsening drought, carried over from the past two years of insufficient rain. It would reduce plant stress to monitor them for watering needs and irrigate them periodically as needed. The linked page has watering guidance. Producing new growth requires ample root moisture, and the process can be hindered or stalled if a plant is too drought-stressed.
Miri
