Discolored leaves on plants
 

This is the first time since we are living here in Central Florida that the leaves on some of our plants have turned a brownish black color after the freezing temperatures at night. The ferns took the hardest hit. One of our Philodendrun plants doesn't look good either with those blackish brown leaves.

I didn't know to cover these plants because they have never suffered leaf damage like this before. Will these plants come back in the Spring/Summer?

You can contact the master gardener for answers (Google florida master gardener), but in any case leave the plants alone for the next 2 months to see if they survived.

Mid March is the end of the freeze season. After that, consult your gardener

No expert but I would agree to give the plants to at least the end of Feb to see what can be salvaged.

Wait and don't cut anything back.

The only shabby looking, dead looking plants we have are the ones we planted/added; Hibiscus and Bougainvilla. (that is spelled wrong)

The plants that come with our homes that the builder planted are the ones that survive every year.

Just sayin'.

Anything tropical probably dead unless the stems are woody. I sure my croton, Hawaiian ti, and others are dead as door nail. Even my orlanders are burnt, but they should come back? My cooper leaf usually makes it through down to 28, but I had 3 days in roll at least 28 and one day was 26. Probably got it all? Luckily I got few starts that I brought in.

I think this latest cold snap displayed the difference between freeze and frost.

Cover to protect from frost.
However even a covered a plant will still freeze.

I think a lot of plants that usually made it through frost with no problem this year got hit especially hard. It killed our Bouganvillia which it has never done in our 10 years of living here. I see dead hibiscus all over town. Time will tell if we can salvage these plants by cutting them back but I think we have to wait until the frost threat is behind us before we do this.

Relax
 

There is nothing you can do about what has already happened. Ferns typically in the cold die back to the ground.They will come back in the spring.

Now is the best time to do NOTHING. Damaged leaves,"blackish brown," will be dropped as new growth starts in the spring. If, it makes you feel better you can look at the plant and see if there are live buds on it that will grow in the spring.

Our weather is rocking back and forth between warm and cold-that is the worst for your plants. If, you apply fertilizer or prune, it causes the plants to grow and they will be damaged or killed at the next cold days. NOW IS THE BEST TIME TO DO NOTHING ON ALREADY PLANTED PLANTS.