Hollister
– Four months after a freeze swept over most of the state, many
San Benito County homeowners are getting an idea of what damage the
cold caused their landscaping.
Hollister – Four months after a freeze swept over most of the state, many San Benito County homeowners are getting an idea of what damage the cold caused their landscaping.
John Liad, who lives in the Ashford Heights community off Cienega Road south of town, landscaped his home with about 40 palm trees in February and March of 2006. Although the palm varieties he planted are cold-hardy, Liad is afraid many of the trees will not recover.
With Queen and Dade palms ranging from $500 to $2,200 each, Liad could face a $30,000 loss. Liad said he hasn’t checked to see if he could claim the damage on his homeowner’s insurance.
“It’s hard,” Liad said. “I’ve already talked to a landscaper to come over and replace plants and drip systems.”
But before Liad commits to new landscaping, he said he’d like to wait.
The Ashford Heights resident pruned back the fronds and many of the ornamental grasses he planted.
“One of the other neighbors up there planted about 200 of those grasses and they all died,” Liad said.
Mary Ann Lee, who owns Lee Landscaping and holds a degree in plant science, said homeowners have been watching their landscaping closely in recent weeks. Plants likely to recover would have shown signs of improvement with warming temperatures, she said.
“If it was going to pull through it would have shown green already,” Lee said.
Lee said many homeowners recently have chosen tropical landscaping such as palms and hibiscus, which are susceptible to cold weather damage.
In and around Hollister, Lee said she has seen damage to tropical trees and grasses.
“I don’t know the percentage of loss, but it’s pretty substantial,” Lee said.
And although estimates for residential plant loss from the freeze are not available, San Benito County Agricultural Commissioner Paul Matulich said local farmers suffered $2.2 million in crop loss.
Jim Stark, director of golf course and grounds maintenance for Ridgemark Golf Course, learned 15 years ago how to avoid damage during periodic winter freezes.
In the 1991 freeze, Stark said much of the course’s Mediterranean landscaping was damaged.
“There’s nothing worse than planting a tree that grows beautifully for 15 years and then – boom – a freeze hits and you lose it,” he said.
Stark said the course waited to see how the landscaping at Ridgemark recovered from January’s freeze.
The only loss was a jacaranda tree, Stark said. The course debated whether the Brazilian native should be planted in the first place five years ago, he said.
“From a landscaping standpoint, it just underscores choosing the proper plant for the proper site,” Stark said.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or mv*********@***********ws.com.
