December 17 , 2009
Freeze microclimates, in one garden!
We all do it that just a few blocks take a leak a difference in what we can grow . Even in a individual garden , in similar light , what prosper in one bed can shrivel in another . I once met a gardener who has rock on one side of the driveway and deep sandy territory on the other !
It ’s the same with the weather condition . It can be flood a international nautical mile away , while nary a drop falls on your house . All of us got strike in the recent freezing , but the impact depart by location . At my house , it was n’t even a change of null codification .
In back , the shrimp plant life fried .
In front , the one I ’d divide from that standstill was still stand .
I wo n’t prune them back until March , since who knows what ’s coming yet .
In the crape bed , theAgave celsiis were all right .
The newAgave bracteosapup was fine .
But in the fencing bed , theAgave celsii‘Tricolor ’ got it . It ’s still alive , but damaged .
The lantana diverge from electrocute to squeeze to bloom , a great relief to this louse and a moth that visited afterwards .
My itchy finger wo n’t mess with the fry until February . Along with not take chances , since lantana has no good sense , I calculate there are some critters draw close underneath .
As always , the Filipino violets turn a new nicety of “ reddish blue . ”
I did cut them back because they ’re crowding plant I want to see again . They do have sense : they ’ll stay secret until warmth is here to rest . Then , I cringed , since unexampled leaves were issue at the base of one of them . ( Okay , this one missed the “ sense ” memo ) . Well , sometimes I cut them back this ahead of time and sometimes I wait . In either face , they ’ve come back for class . In my experience , it ’s the very little , freshly planted that can die in hard freeze .
My newManfredas / Mangaves‘Macho Mocha ’ fromPam Penickaren’t cussing . New winecups , seedling poppy and larkspur are just as unharmed .
The various abutilons , admit ‘ Patrick ’ , are sag a bit , but unharmed .
TheDicliptera suberecta , however , is soppy in back and toasted in front ( opposite the shrimp works ’s behavior ) .
I convince Cedric that we do n’t desire to dilute it back yet . It will be okay , but I ’d rather leave it alone for now , since I doubt its sensibility . Spiderworts to the rightfield will distract us until then . They look a little wilted , but they ’ll twit .
dependably , the crinums are mush . Reliably , they ’ll come back . I ’ll feed the compost lot with their leaves in the next few week .
In front , The Fairy roses are still flap at cars that glance over their curbing beds .
Against the family , the plumbago are crunchy . I ’m beaming . They scarce froze back at all last year . I ’ve planted lots of bulb underneath , so last twelvemonth I was cutting unripe foliage to give them scant . This year , I ’ll chop the black lead after Christmas to cut off some goody - calories and savour a new look with electric-light bulb until tardy natural spring .
I really have to laugh a little . If we implant tender or flyspeck ace in downslope , we risk their demise in below - medium freezes . If we wait until spring , drought and over 90º conks them . It ’s the Texas garden lottery ! But most of the time you make headway , if you do n’t grave off your zip computer code , your garden ’s stain and lighting consideration , and a plant ’s range of uttermost temperature . And if we consider all that , and miss anyway , we take that experience with us when we return to the glasshouse .
Until next week , Linda
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