whaas...you have any idea how many plants are dug b&b in oregon or tennessee and shipped into chicago, wisconsin, and minnesota, and the northeast? the fact that these are freshly is not really the issue. sure it plays a part...but exactly how much of a part? we can argue that one till we run out of beer and never have an answer. personally, methinks you are overthinking. without good weather to help the plant reflush (which will happen eventually) (knock on wood)... by the way...i'm not certain i'd classify these species as sensitive to frost damage...tender new growth is sensitive, regardless of species. these are just slow to break bud. now they have to do it again. which gets us back to how easily they do so. all you can do (besides waiting) is provide a shot in the arm (half rate water soluble fert) to help the plants releaf. and pray for no more frost. or do a dance in the yard. which after all that beer for the metaphysical discussion is going to something you want to make sure is not caught on film.

Luckily, I got away with 26F instead of the 23F called for - weather.com is now calling for 29F at the airport in Greer, so I SHOULD get 26-27F - I hope. I have had a number of things get frosted back, but hope I haven't permanently lost anything. Maybe the flowers on my hydrangeas - too big to cover, and too cold for too long - and a few other things - I am HOPING the lilies will flower fully this summer. After tomorrow, the 10-day forecast is for night-time temps in the 40's, so we can hope. I would say that the worst of the damage should be clear by Tues. or Wed., and much of the start of recovery seen by the end of the week. I wouldn't be too quick to prune back any of your woody plants - the leaves may have died, but the stems may still leaf out from ancillary buds. I would wait on them (shrubs and trees) until the end of next week, or even a bit longer, to be sure the stem or branch is truly dead. Soft stems that are black or limp, you can take off as soon as you can or want. If you have a question, scratch the stem lightly - if it shows green, it will probably recover. Any perennials that died back to the ground, I would wait a week or more, to be sure they won't come back from the roots. Don't forget that many of the plants we grow in our gardens evolved in a climate not too different from this, and can handle a frost without dieing. I don't guaranteee you will have as beautiful a plant this year as it might have been, but most of them should live.

Thanks everyone for the encouraging remarks. Yes, I had looked around for frost damage using the search and found some older threads but nothing pertaining to watering or putting them back out after a freeze. I really don't know much about the jades, just a beginner here starting out with a new love for succulents and cacti. Been doing lots of reading and researching for what's best in my area (zone 7 in the No. Calif. foothills) I had thought my jade was "large" until I finally saw some pics here. Mine is just a baby compared to those. It's about 2 1/2 feet tall but had been pruned like a tree with beautiful twisty, knarly thick trunk and branches. I think mother nature decided it needed to be a little fuller. I'm hoping it will come back even more beautiful and interesting than it was before. I actually just got it earlier this summer from a Craig's list add from a woman getting rid of a lot of old plants left from an nursery that had gone out of business. I only paid $2.50 for it. I bought a lot of stuff I know nothing about just because it was so cheap and cool looking. Now I'm trying to figure out what they are and how to treat them. Since I'm handicapped I can't really do much "in the ground" gardening but I do have lots of container plants on my decks. They looked so beautiful during the spring and summer months. I think this new hobby may turn into an obsession if I'm not careful! Thanks again everyone. Christine

I decided to dig the plant that took the brunt of the frost but leave the rest. Here's what I removed: Here's the spot it was in: Here's what I dug up. I decided the theme song for sweet potato harvest is "Just Keep Digging" sung to the tune of "Just Keep Swimming" in Finding Nemo. If I remember right, I'm supposed to leave them out there tomorrow to cure and them put them in the garage or something for storage. Is that about right? Now I'm off to the butterfly forum to discuss the pupa I unearthed!