Catalpa tree health following freeze event - Ask Extension
A few weeks ago, after a warm spell, a freeze hit us - city of Lafayette - and our 10-year-old catalpa, which had just begin to flower, was hurt. It h...
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Catalpa tree health following freeze event #930695
Asked May 05, 2026, 1:43 PM EDT
A few weeks ago, after a warm spell, a freeze hit us - city of Lafayette - and our 10-year-old catalpa, which had just begin to flower, was hurt. It has shown no signs of life since then. Will the tree recover? Attached are photos I took this morning.
Boulder County Colorado
Expert Response
Greetings,
Catalpas are generally pretty hardy and while they can suffer damage from extreme weather like we recently had, they can often recover. Newly emerged foliage is most vulnerable to temperatures in the middle 20s°F or below. Damaged growth usually drops off, allowing the tree to leaf out again within a few weeks. If the tree was healthy, a well-established catalpa will produce new growth from surviving buds or shoots.
If you have any other issues with the catalpa, feel free to reach out for more advice.
Best wishes,
CSU Extension Boulder County Master Gardeners
Catalpas are generally pretty hardy and while they can suffer damage from extreme weather like we recently had, they can often recover. Newly emerged foliage is most vulnerable to temperatures in the middle 20s°F or below. Damaged growth usually drops off, allowing the tree to leaf out again within a few weeks. If the tree was healthy, a well-established catalpa will produce new growth from surviving buds or shoots.
If you have any other issues with the catalpa, feel free to reach out for more advice.
Best wishes,
CSU Extension Boulder County Master Gardeners
