Baby….it’s cold outside!
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I woke up this morning to a whopping 26 degrees. I can already hear those of you in other parts of the country laughing at my wimpy-ness, but please remember – I live in California!! The Bay Area, to be exact – Zone 8!!! I’m not accustomed to this weather…and more importantly, my PLANTS aren’t accustomed to this weather!! My poor babies have suffered over the night, some will recover, and some will not.
For those of you in my neck of the woods (and other mild climate areas) – if your garden hasn’t already been wiped out by the past few nights of low temperatures, there’s still hope! Here are some ways I protect some of my more tender plants (succulents, citrus, and lavenders to name a few).
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But first….take a look at some of my plants this morning. Keep in mind – not all are lost! Most of these will recover in a few days (assuming the weather warms up a few degrees)…
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But when it comes to succulents – it’s a whole other story. While there are a few succulents which can grow in freezing temperatures, mine aren’t those! Mine are the wimpy ones which need temps. above 32 degrees – so here are the ways I try and help them endure the painfully long, freezing nights. (But first, I just want to say to make sure your plants have been thoroughly watered beforehand! Nothing will save them if they’re bone dry AND they get hit with a frost – it’s a double whammy that spells out certain death)
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The Tee-Pee. I made this one from 3 sticks tied together at the top. Place it over the plant, and cover with a piece of burlap (you can buy the burlap in rolls at most garden centers). You DON’T want to use plastic – it freezes, and if it’s touching the plant then it’ll freeze directly onto the plant’s leaves, and then you have REAL drama on your hands.
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No tee-pee? No problem – you can just lightly drape the burlap over your plants…
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No burlap? No problem – you can use an old sheet or towel…..
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Another way to protect your containers is to move them under the eaves of your home or other building – this offers them a bit of shelter from the frost…
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.Christmas Lights! Don’t laugh! They emit a bit of heat, and when you wind them through your plant or tree (I’ve done this with my big orange tree with great success) that can be just the ticket to raising the temperature those precious few degrees…
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And when all else fails – Plant and Seed catalogues! No, they won’t offer your plants protection, but they can help you cope with your losses!
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Remember my motto: A Plant’s Death just means more Planting Opportunity!
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December 8th, 2009 saat: 10:19 am
Whoa, That IS cold for you all. Great tips here, however. Hang in there. That weather won’t last forever.
Best, Teresa
December 8th, 2009 saat: 10:25 am
Yep, it was still 28deg when I went out to photograph my casualties this morning; wish I’d done a little more draping (just covered the lemon tree) cross my fingers that the aeoniums haven’t left the building!
December 8th, 2009 saat: 10:31 am
Sadly I lost some of my aeoniums
My citrus are still okay though. I use the larger Christmas lights as they put off the most heat- the smaller lights don’t really seem to provide much protection. We also covered our citrus and avocado trees with sheets in addition to the christmas lights. I’m pretty picky with the fruit tree’s- they take SO long to start producing, I’d hate to lose an avocado tree after waiting five years to produce!
December 9th, 2009 saat: 3:09 pm
My garden’s hanging in – didn’t bother protecting the lemon as it’s about 10 years old and has a southern exposure (plus, it’s only given me ONE measly lemon this year – maybe this’ll scare it into producing).
I have Hens and Chicks that were a gift from Laura S. -are they one of the tough succulents or do I need to build them a burlap palace?
December 9th, 2009 saat: 5:25 pm
I wasn’t going to cover anything, but then I wimped out and put a sheet over the lemon, the Galvecia speciosa, and the Jade plant, and some cardboard over the pots with seedlings. Everything survived, even the Salvia cacaliifolia, which I kind of hoped would freeze a bit to save me work when pruning.
BTW, the new LED Xmas lights won’t work for protection, so use some old energy hogs for this purpose.
December 9th, 2009 saat: 6:01 pm
Town Mouse – you’re right about the new LED lights…I like to use the big old fashioned ones…as you say the ‘energy hogs’…
And yes, Susan, you’re in luck – those hens & chicks are pretty tough…though mine have been damaged before. Just leave them if they get all ‘wilty’ and they’ll put out new little ‘chicks’ in the Spring. Sometimes they turn to mush (like lettuce in the freezer!)…just chuck ‘em at that point. Heck, I have so many I’ll just give you more….
Carrie – keep your Aeonium stems – they’ll probably resprout little babies in the Spring!
January 2nd, 2010 saat: 12:33 am
ARRRGGHHH!
I can’t STAND it!
I had a terrible freeze about 3 years ago and lost ALL of my darkest Aeonium Zwartkopfs. They have been recovering – but it was hard on me! Just looking at your frozen plants made my heart sink.
I know that gardening is supposed to teach us to be patient and circumspect, and to accept the vagaries of nature – but I’m a big baby and will totally throw a fit, even if it does no good.
I admire your fortitude. You are a gardener with panache!
Happy New Year, Sweet!
January 17th, 2010 saat: 1:12 pm
[...] on gardening in the Pacific Northwest.My friend Rebecca, a Bay Area landscape designer, has written a great article about how to protect some of your tender beauties from this ungracious weather we’ve been [...]
January 17th, 2010 saat: 2:43 pm
[...] Sweet from Gossip in the Garden has a great tutorial on protecting tender plants from the [...]