My loquat didn't even blink at the low temps. Mine was a teeny thing when I put it in the ground three years ago. Now it's at least six feet tall and starting to look like a small tree. It is a lovely thing with new growth. No one can believe it's the same plant. Just to show that if you are broke, you need more patience.

My aralia and bear's breeches must be protected somewhat by the fence. They did NOT like the over 100 degree days even getting watered, but the cold didn't seem to bother them much at all.

The only things in my yard that I'm still watching are the lantanas, my five year old Belinda's Dream rose and a climbing Crimson Glory rose. And I would've thought these things would have been okay. Go figure.

My Carolina Jasmine didn't mind the temps at all. The evergreen wisteria wasn't so evergreen this year, but it lived. I have daffodils that I forgot about that are fine and several daylilies that will bloom. Plus my amaryllis looks OK. Most of the new bulbs I planted this winter are also showing signs of life. Don't know about the elephant ears, but I'm not holding out much hope.

So far, the only things I'm wondering about are a Philippine violet, a bleeding-heart vine (clerodendrum), a gaillardia and my Mexican heather. Everything else is either completely unscathed, re-sprouting or comes back late:

Knock-Out roses
grape hyacinths
wax-leaf begonias
lantana
dwarf sweet myrtle
geraniums (in-ground)
perennial snapdragons
mums
pentas
purple coneflower
some unidentified blue salvia thing
sedum
Mexican oregano
Texas columbine
ajuga
Brazilian plume
beautyberry
lily of the nile
asparagus fern
firebush
butterfly weed
esperanza
orange bulbine (which was surprisingly evergreen even through the freezes)
gaura
Mexican flame vine
blue salvia
raspberry salvia
pride of Barbados
mistflower (eupatorium wrightii)
pee-wee oak leaf hydrangea
coral berry
holly fern
coral honeysuckle
sago palms (which, being in pots, should really have sustained some freeze damage and didn't)

All my herbs (in large pots) made it except the basil (of course).

I did lose a few begonias, some alyssum, a violet, a scutellaria longifolia and maybe a penta during the drought (the latter few also had to contend with being dug up by the dog).

Plumbago is sprouting at the base this week.

Blackfoot Daisy didn't seem to be affected at all and has been blooming for weeks already.

Turks Cap is coming back fast.

Good to hear about the Esperanza, I'll not give up yet.

Oh yeah, forgot the blackfoot daisy. It's never looked better.

Esperanza and Philippine Violet are still alive in my yard. I just cut all the dead stuff off and they have new growth at the bottom, (which is usual for these).

Lynn

It's funny how variable people's success was with various plants. For example, I haven't seen any Bulbine that survived around here, mine included.

Lantana's a mixed bag too. Mine's coming back ok, but I see alot of people have apparently lost theirs. I think that may have depended on variety.

Loquats are a big winner in my book too. We planted ours as a one gal 2 1/2 years ago in full sun in the middle of the yard. The thing must be 5-6' tall now and is putting on new growth.

yup, my bulbine was a gonner too.

Things that surprised me that made it with no covering/help:

pineapple guava
purple heart
foxtail fern
spider plant
orange cestrum
little john bottlebrush (but suffered severe damage)
verbenas

This year is really bad. A lof of my mom plants died. I think the two huge orchid tree is dead. Her tropical fruits most of them are dead (guava, logan, and some other I forgot the name.) Even one of the pygmy palm plants died. It was five years old. A rose plant died. All of the hibiscus died including 2 that were at least 15 years old. Only the purple rose of sharing hibiscus is alive.
The survivors were most of the roses, plumerias, wisteria, iris, lillies, kumquat, cherry, redbud, crepe myrtle, and all the citrus trees survive.

Every palm in my area is dead as a doornail~~i'm east of Austin. I had neighbors who covered theirs, but they still died. Would a good mulching at the base have helped? They had them covered with sheets, but didn't take extra precautions w/roots. I thought I read something about the root system of plants needing protection, and although the leaves would die, the plant would survive with new re-growth. True or false? ;o)